Beautiful Liar
by PnayBabyGurl
Summary: Suspecting that her boyfriend Logan is cheating on her, Quinn's boss asks her to “spy” on him by signing up as his secretary. It started off as a simple request but soon turns into a tangled web of lies with Quinn stuck in the middle. Quogan, AU.
1. Prologue: Mission

I feel horrible for starting a new story when I still have two incomplete ones waiting to be updated! But I have a good reason (hopefully). I recently got into "Sky High" Warren/Layla fanfics and have been reading those for the past couple of weeks. When I tried to start working on my own Z101 stories, however, I just couldn't! I just sat there staring blankly at the page in front of me and reread what I've written so far until I could practically memorize every word and for some reason it was so difficult to continue where I left off! So, I kind of freaked out and after three days of that, I wrote this. I have to admit, I don't feel very proud of it because 1) it's pretty much an English translated version of this Filipino show I've been watching lately and 2) it's AU and never in my life have I ever written an AU fanfic before. So I'm not sure how good this will be but hopefully, even though it's just a stupid way for me to try and get my Quogan/Z101 muse back, you guys will still enjoy reading it.

Oh, another note, this hasn't been beta'd so please excuse any mistakes that I'm sure you will find here. I wrote this at 4am and was so out of it. I'll go back and edit any mistakes that I find later.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Zoey 101, Dan Schneider does. I also do not own the TV adaptation nor the actual books of Rose Tan's comedy/romance paperbacks _The Bud Brother Series_. So please don't sue.

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**Beautiful Liar**

"Prologue: Mission"

--_Quogan is Love_--

If only the blinding sunlight was the sole perpetrator of the rude awakening Quinn was subjected to that morning, then maybe she wouldn't have been in such a sour mood. No, some higher power apparently found amusement in tormenting her because not only was she awoken by the rays of the sun hitting her in the face, but also an incessant ringing sound that even managed to invade her pleasant dream. She groaned and scrunched her brows together in annoyance, moving her hand around her bedside drawer – eyes still closed – in search of the source of the noise and in the process, accidentally knocked over her half filled bottle of water.

"Argh, damned alarm clock" she mumbled into her pillow, the irritating sound beginning to wake her fully. It didn't hit her until a few seconds later that the annoying ringing sound she was hearing wasn't her alarm clock, but her cell phone which had been ringing for quite some time already. Growling softly, Quinn found the silver device near her bedside table lamp and brought it to her face. Forcing one eye open, Quinn had to wait a few seconds for her vision to clear up before being able to read it. Once it did, however, the first thing she did – besides mentally curse at herself – was shoot out of bed and run into the bathroom before finally answering the call.

"Yes, Miss Daniela! I'm so, so sorry!" she instantly apologized to her boss who was on the other line. Holding the phone between her ear and shoulder, Quinn grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste and began to brush her teeth as fast as her arm would allow her as she listened to Daniela at the same time.

"Q-Quinn, I ne-need to talk t-to you," came the shaky voice of her boss, Daniela Christenson. It sounded like she'd recently been crying. "Can you meet me a-at my penthouse suite? It's i-important."

It probably wasn't very proper to speak to her boss while brushing her teeth but at the moment, Quinn was too much in a rush to care. "Uh huh, op course, I'll beh thar in pipten menutes."

And she was there in fifteen minutes; dressed in a pair of denim shorts, flip flops, white camisole undershirt, and a yellow v-neck short sleeve shirt that hugged her curves at the bust then flowed out slightly down to her hips. Working as someone's personal assistant, this type of attire seemed inappropriate but if your boss was one of the most famous supermodels in the country who you have been working for for over a year, business attire was considered too dressy – at least that's what Daniela told Quinn a few months after she started working for her.

Quinn poured some orange juice into a glass and picked up a box of tissues as she walked over to Daniela who had indeed been crying. She took the items from Quinn and gave her a weak but grateful smile then took a few sips from the glass.

"So, um, can you tell me what's wrong, Miss Daniela?" Quinn asked politely but with concern evident in her voice, taking a seat across from the distressed woman. "Why are you upset?"

"Well, you see," she placed the orange juice on the glass table beside her and took a couple tissues from the box, blowing her noise before continuing. "I think… I think my boyfriend is cheating on me." The last part caused a few more tears to trickle down her cheek but she quickly wiped them away with another tissue, her breathing still slightly irregular.

Quinn gave her a sympathetic look but couldn't help look confused as well. "Uh, boyfriend? Miss Daniela, I didn't even know you had a boyfriend but I'm sorry to hear-"

"Yes, I do," she interrupted, dabbing her noise with a tissue and tried to smile despite her tired red eyes. "Logan's the sweetest, most handsome, and most caring guy I've ever met." Even in her distressed state, she still managed a dreamy expression as she described the guy who was cheating on her. "He's the manager of this flower shop that his mother use to own before she moved away."

Nodding simply to show that she was listening, Quinn then asked another question trying to clear up the confusion in her head. This _was_ a lot of new information to process, especially at eight in the morning. "But, um, I'm still a little confused. I've been working for you for over a year now and, you've never mentioned a boyfriend before, Miss Daniela."

"Oh, we've been together for a only over a month now," it seemed that her voice was beginning to regain its usual cheerfulness but then dropped back down into a melancholy tone soon after, "but he's been so 'busy' lately that he hardly has any time to spend with me." Before Quinn could give her words of comfort though, Daniela continued, her voice changing as drastically as it did before, from melancholy to suspicion and slight anger. "I don't believe it though. I think he's cheating on me with another girl and is just using being busy as an excuse to hide it from me."

Quinn scrunched her nose in disgust and scoffed, "Well, if you ask me Miss Daniela, if he is cheating on your then you're better off without him." Anyone who cheated on their boyfriend or girlfriend was an inconsiderate lowlife and didn't deserve tears, especially if it was from such a nice person like Daniela Christenson.

"No!" the model exclaimed suddenly almost causing Quinn to fall out of her seat. "You don't understand, Quinn. I love him, I don't want to lose him."

She gave Quinn the most serious but desperate look that the poor girl was at a loss for words. "Uh, well… I guess in that case-"

"That's why," Daniela continued, disregarding whatever Quinn was about to say, "I want _you_ to spy on him for me."

Eyes widening considerably larger than normal, Quinn stared at her employer incredulously. "You want me to what!?"

Quickly standing from her seat and dropping the box of tissues on the floor, Daniela rushed over to Quinn and grabbed her hand with both of hers. "Please, Quinn! It won't be too difficult; you're a smart and resourceful girl. I know you can handle this." Even with the words of praise and encouragement, Quinn was doubtful that this was a good idea. She stared at Daniela unsurely, still a little stunned at her boss's sudden strange behavior – she was usually more put together and proper. "Please? I don't want to lose him, Quinn."

Feeling a sense of obligation and pity, Quinn sighed and relented. "What do I need to do?"

Daniela squealed in delight, stood from her crouching position, and gave Quinn a light hug as she thanked her over and over. Once she released her, both women stood up.

"He's currently looking for a new secretary," Daniela began to explain, holding Quinn lightly by the wrist as she led her through the hallway and into her bedroom. "So I want you to pose as an applicant and _make sure_ that you get the job. Once you're hired, I want you to find out everything you can about this girl and if he has really been telling me the truth about him being too busy. Got it?"

Quinn's intuition began to kick in and she just knew that this was a bad idea. So, why was she going through with it? Well, there really wasn't much of a choice since this _was_ her boss. She owed her a lot, especially since it was this job that was helping her pay the bills. At the age of twenty three, Quinn had expected to have a well paying job and her own place by now. She had also expected to be a college graduate and attending medical school now too. But, unfortunately, after the birth of her youngest sibling nothing was going as planned in her life anymore. It hurt less and less each day but things were still difficult, and her family still wasn't completely back to normal.

Daniela didn't even notice how Quinn merely stood there staring blankly at nothing in particular as she rushed over to her large walk-in closet and began to look for the perfect outfit. "You have to look the part to make sure you get the job," her voice behind the sliding doors was slightly muffled. She continued to talk but her voice was beginning to fade and sound more indistinct by the minute that Quinn had to strain to hear her – even then she couldn't make out what she was saying. All she heard was an aggravated groan and the soft rustling of clothes and hangers inside the closet. Moments later Daniela walked out, hands on her hips with wild tousled hair.

"None of that is going to work. Forget it, let's go," she said with a sigh, grabbing Quinn by the wrist yet again and dragging her back outside.

"Uh, Miss Daniela, where are we going?" Quinn asked as she was pulled into the living room. Waiting in silent confusion for a response, she watched as her boss tossed the couch pillows around in search of something. "Miss Danie-"

"Aha!" she exclaimed happily, pulling out her car keys from in between the sofa cushions.

Quinn looked at her hesitantly, slightly fearful that her boss of fourteen months had now lost her mind. Before she could ask where Daniela planned to take her, her question was answered.

"C'mon, we're going shopping for nerdy secretary clothes." Quinn managed to grab her purse before she was dragged, yet again by the wrist, outside the door and into the hallway of the hotel.

"Oh, of course."

All Quinn could think of was 'what have I gotten myself into?'

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So what do you guy think? Is it worth continuing? Or am I just wasting my time with this? I'd really like to know so **please review!** Or just send me a PM if you don't want your review posted publicly for all to see.

Next chapter: Quinn's interview and her first meeting with Daniela's boyfriend Logan!

Until next time!

Always, Mina


	2. Chapter 1: The Secretary & The Boss

I was planning to update this as soon as I got 5 reviews but it's been over a week now and I don't think it's fair for those who did review to wait any longer for one review. So, here's chapter 1! Edited to the best of my ability but, as usual, I will go over it again after I post it to fix any mistakes I missed.

**Disclaimer:** Dan Schneider and Nickelodeon own Zoey 101 and its characters. Not me. I also do not own the TV adaptation nor the actual books of Rose Tan's comedy/romance paperbacks _The Bud Brother Series_.

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**Beautiful Liar**

"Chapter 1: The Secretary & The Boss"

-_Quogan is Love-_

Quinn groaned in frustration, pulling at the strangely placed ruffles of her new beige buttoned up dress shirt. Whoever thought that putting insanely large ruffles on your chest was stylish was obviously blind and ridiculously insecure about their bust size because what other explanation could there be for these irritating things, other than drawing attention to your chest?

"Quinn! C'mon, I want to see it!" shouted Daniela. They had spent the entire day moving from shop to shop trying to find the 'perfect' outfit that made Quinn 'look smart but not too smart and also efficient' (Daniela's words). It was now nearing sunset and both women were still at Daniela's penthouse suite in downtown LA, trying to decide what Quinn should wear for her interview – which was in two days. It was supposed to be the next day but Quinn managed to convince Daniela to give her a day to 'get into character'. Truthfully, she just wanted to stall the whole thing for as long as she could but unfortunately for her, one day was all she got. Staring at her reflection in the full length mirror of Daniela's rather large bedroom bathroom one more time, Quinn finally unlocked the door and stepped out. The model stood from her seat on her large bed, glass of brandy in hand, and smiled approvingly as she began to slowly circle Quinn like a vulture.

"Hmm, perfect!"

'Perfect?' Quinn thought to herself incredulously, 'maybe if I was running for a Look-Like-A-School-Marm contest.' She wasn't exactly a fashionista – no that was Zoey's specialty – but she had enough common sense to know when an outfit looked hideous and/or out-of-date and this certainly fit both descriptions, and then some. The long sleeve dress shirt was tucked into her brown pencil skirt which went from up her waist line to down well pass her knees. On her feet were brown pumps that she could've sworn her grandmother use to wear. Minus the two inch wedge heel, of course. From the moment she had put the clothes on Quinn had no other way to react to it except making displeased faces at her reflection. There wasn't anything she could do though, except endure. It wasn't long until she found herself back inside Daniela's bathroom changing back into her regular clothes, while her boss continued to drink and talk to her through the door.

"So, as I was saying earlier. I kind of blame myself for Logan cheating on me, I mean, he's still the one mostly at fault but I _did_ get really busy with my modeling career and him with his business." She paused, taking another drink of brandy. "But, being the _good girlfriend_ that I am, when I got back from my photo shoot in Europe two weeks ago, I planned a surprise trip just for the two of us to Hawaii." Standing from her seat on her bed again, she began to slowly pace, taking the entire bottle with her in her free hand this time. "And you know what that asshole's excuse was? Huh?"

Quinn wasn't sure if Daniela was expecting a reply from her but she gave one anyway, "Uh, no, what was it?"

"He said he was too busy!" she exclaimed loudly, followed by a scoff, "but I didn't buy it for even once second. Nuh uh. I knew that there was another girl."

Finally finished dressing, Quinn stepped out of the bathroom with her new 'school marm' outfit on its hangers and the shoes in the box. "Miss Daniela, this guy seems like such a big jerk! You're such a nice person and you deserve to be treated better than that. Why don't you just leave hi-"

"No!" she suddenly exclaimed, her hand frozen in mid-drink. So much for getting out of this. "Things are different with him. When we first met in that club, it was love at first sight" for once in that whole day, a small dreamy smile made its way to her lips.

_He sat there in the corner of the club closest to the entrance, leaving exactly one seat empty to his right. 'How very convenient' she thought with a smile as she sauntered over, clad in a strapless black dress that hugged her curvy frame and black stilettos to match._

"_Hi there, I'm Daniela Christenson," she introduced herself with a bright smile, holding out her hand to him. "You are?"_

_One corner of his mouth lifted up slightly in a smile, his dark eyes meeting hers. "Logan, Logan Reese," he said, taking her hand and giving it a soft shake._

_The moment her hand touched his she became suddenly aware of the knots in her stomach that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. They weren't the only ones in the club that night but in that moment, it certainly felt like it._

Green eyes met Quinn's chocolate brown ones as the memory faded back into the depths of her mind. "I knew from the moment we met that he was 'the one' for me," she said, voice light and still dreamy. Quinn quirked a skeptical brow and held back the scoff that would have come after. It's not that she was a pessimist or man-hater, but she just didn't believe in that whole "the one" and "love at first sight" thing. It all seemed ridiculous to her; foolish concepts derived from all those cheesy romance novels you find in the books section of the grocery store. Real life wasn't like that; wasn't like a storybook fairy tale. Real life was never perfect and her family was proof of that.

"We're meant to be," Daniela continued, as if Quinn didn't fully grasp her point just yet. "I'll fight for him, Quinn. I love him too much to let him go just like that. Which is why," she paused to leave her glass and the bottle on her vanity table then walked back over to Quinn, taking her hands in earnest "_you_ have to help me, Quinn. You have to find out everything that you can so I can be the perfect girl for him. You're the closest person I have to family here in LA, I'm depending on you."

The corner of Quinn's lips lifted up slightly, giving her boss an uncertain smile but it was enough for Daniela. She smiled gratefully before giving her a hug.

"I just want you to be happy," Quinn said softly with a sigh, patting her back.

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From the outside, the flower shop looked pretty small but once Quinn passed through the gate it was like she just had entered a jungle in the middle of LA. The floor was no longer a cemented and sturdy road, but a brown and dusty trail that looked something out of a ranch. Numerous tall thin plants lined the pathway and if it weren't for their black plastic pots, Quinn would have wondered whether or not she had come to the right place. The whole place was dense with different kinds of greenery. All they were missing now were fruit trees, wild animals, and a waterfall.

'I thought she said he owned a _flower shop_, not a flower shop _and _a flower farm!'

A van filled with more black pots – except these were empty – made its way past her and towards the exit. Dust picked up in its trail so Quinn had to cover her mouth with a handkerchief and squint her eyes until she passed the cloud of dirt. Her overly large glasses – Daniela insisted that she wear them, even though they didn't even have any prescription and Quinn usually wore contacts anyway, because they 'added to the whole nerdy secretary look' – helped somewhat but it wasn't enough to fully protect her eyes. After passing by more plants – some shorter than her, some that were clumped together in bushes, some with colorful flowers, and others barely beginning to bloom – she finally made it to, what she assumed to be, the entrance of the shop. Looking around, Quinn noticed many gardeners wearing gloves and hats working diligently on different kinds of plants and flowers but there was only one person that seemed to be giving orders. He was also dressed differently than the rest of them so, naturally, Quinn assumed that that was her boss's boyfriend.

'Huh, I pictured him to look more like a model' she mused as she took in his dark bushy hair and slim frame clad in dark blue jeans, black Converse shoes, yellow gardening gloves, and blue shirt. His blue collared shirt was left open, revealing the white muscle shirt underneath, and sleeves folded up to his elbows. 'Oh well, let's get this over with.'

Gathering all the confidence she could muster, Quinn approached him, albeit with a little difficulty. During her walk there she had almost tripped twice, not counting the times she fell while practicing yesterday. 'Stupid heels! Work with me here!'

Once he finished speaking to another gardener, he turned around and finally noticed Quinn standing there behind him, school marm clothes and all. He didn't speak right away, only raised his brows in surprise then raked a hand through his dark bushy hair in confusion.

"Um, hi, I think you're looking for the elementary school that's further down the street. You can't miss it, you just go down-"

He was interrupted with Quinn's sudden burst of giggles. "Very funny, sir, but I think you have me mistaken for someone else. I'm not a school mar- er… school teacher. I'm here to apply for the secretary position," she said cheerfully with a smile on her face, pushing her glasses higher up her nose.

"Ohhh…" he said after silently looking her over for probably the fifth time. She'd been there for only two minutes and all he could do was blink and stare at her. The bright smile remained on Quinn's face the entire time, making her look almost like a Barbie doll. "Uh, okay," he finally replied once his voice returned. "Sure, but um," he motioned to the girl wearing a black skirt, white blouse, and brown wooden heels beside him, "she was here before you so after her interview you can go next."

"Okay, sure, that's perfectly fine, sir." With that said, both girls followed him inside the building.

(1)"Uh, well… I believe that if I were a flower I would be a… a…" Quinn knew it was rude to eavesdrop but the door was open and the girl _was_ talking awfully loudly.

"I would be a rose!" she suddenly exclaimed, voice excessively cheerful and somewhat sing-songy. "Yeah, and I would be a rose because… uh, I believe that… uh…" Another slight pause followed by another loud exclamation when the girl finally thought of something to say, "Oh! I can-I can give love and hope to every human being!"

'Oh God…' it was a good thing that no one else was in the room because Quinn was failing miserably at containing her giggles. They weren't loud enough for the two other people in the other room to hear though. 'Hn, I'm reminded of _Miss Congeniality_,' she thought with a laugh.

"So, if you hire me as your secretary, um… I will be your secre… oh! I will not only serve as your secretary but I will also… I will be an inspiration to everyone!" Judging by the tone of her voice, at that point Quinn was almost certain that the girl had her arms lifted up in the air in a 'Y' position with a bright smile on her face. At the thought another wave of giggles threatened to burst but she covered her mouth tightly to hold them in. The next moment later, she watched as the girl walked confidently out of the manager's office, head held high. Quinn stood from her seat just as the girl was about to pass by and leave, but not before the girl sent her a cocky smirk and hair flip.

'Hn, well she's gonna be disappointed later.'

"Next!"

Show time. Double checking to make sure her folder had all the necessary papers, Quinn smoothed out her skirt one more time then walked in – this time, without tripping. Upon entering, she gave him a polite smile, shut the door behind her then walked over to the front of his wooden desk.

"Hi, miss…?" he left the question hanging as he shook her hand.

"Pensky, Quinn Pensky," she replied with a nod and gave him her folder, "but you can just call me Quinn."

"Alright, Quinn," he replied as if testing her name on his lips, "I'm Mr. Matthews but that sounds too formal and so strange to me so you can just call me Chase. Please take a seat," he said with a chuckle, sitting down himself and opening her manila folder but not taking a look at the papers just yet.

'Chase Matthews? So, I guess this isn't Daniela's two-timing boyfriend,' Quinn thought, brows quirked up in surprise as she sat in the chair facing him.

"So, let's just cut to the chase. If you were a flower, what kind of flower would you be?" The way he asked the question made it sound more like part of a game, rather than an interview question for a job and that calmed Quinn's nerves just a bit. At least he seemed to have a sense of humor.

Daniela had instructed her to 'act smart but not _too _smart' but what did that mean exactly? "Um, with all due respect, sir," she started, voice full of practiced confidence and respect after she laughed softly, "I came here to apply as a secretary _not_ as a flower, so wouldn't it be more… appropriate to ask me questions regarding my qualifications as your secretary?"

When he didn't say anything back right away and just sat there rubbing his chin in thought, Quinn began to worry that she said something wrong and already managed to mess her whole mission up way before she even got started. Before she could say anything to amend her words, however, Chase cleared his throat, catching her attention.

"Hm, interesting…" he said with a raised brow, "a fighter… or a smart aleck; I'm not too sure which adjective is more fitting."

Quinn mentally winced, softly chewing on her bottom lip. Great, strike one.

"Very well then, Miss Pensky," uh oh, he was referring to her with her last name. Was that a bad sign? "Are you experienced?" 'Okay, don't mess this one up, Quinn! Remember what Miss Daniela said… ugh, I should've asked her to clarify what she meant by 'smart but not too smart'! Um… maybe a bit ditzy? Clueless, perhaps?'

Quinn quickly glanced around the room (although no one else was in there besides her and Chase) and leaned a little bit closer towards him. "Oh no, sir. I'm still a virgin," she said in a quieter voice, hand cupping the left side of her mouth as she spoke, then leaned back with an innocent smile on her face. Chase snorted then covered his mouth with his fist, attempting to stifle his burst of laughter. Of course Quinn knew exactly what Chase had meant by 'experience' but hopefully this way, she could not only lighten the mood (if he truly was upset with her for her previous response) but also fit Daniela's expectations a little better.

Clearing his throat and forcing his chuckles to subside, Chase replied, "Uh, okay. I-I didn't really need to know if you've had _that_ kind of experience. What I meant was-"

"Oh no, sir, of course not!" she quickly interrupted, trying to keep the pink from her cheeks. "I didn't- I mean, I wasn't even…" stumbling over her words unintentionally, Quinn stopped and took a calming breath. "Sir, what I meant by 'virgin' was that I haven't had any prior experience as a secretary" she clarified. Although the explanation made sense and sounded fine in her head, when Quinn said it she couldn't help but feel as if saying she had no experience prior to this was a disadvantage to her chances of being hired. So she added, "_But_ I am capable of performing any task that you give me to the best of my ability, sir."

Chase leaned back on his chair, "Hm, is that so?" Quinn nodded in response. "Alright then. Do you know anything about flowers?"

"Oh, of course! I know plenty; not just about flowers in general but the entire plantae kingdom, sir," she said with pure confidence. It was true, she did know quite a lot about what there was to know about plants. She did have a love for science ever since she was four and that included the biological taxonomy…

'Oh crap. Ugh, I did it again!' Trying to act like you didn't have an IQ of 177 was surprisingly difficult, Quinn discovered.

Chase gave her an impressed look and decided to test her claim by pointing to a random flower pot that was inside the room. "Alright then, can you tell me what that flower is over there?" The moment she looked at it, Quinn could immediately tell that the flower arrangement he was pointing to was an arrangement of (2) pink stargazer lilies, white freesia flowers, and pink eucalyptus. But, of course, she couldn't tell him that, so she opted for innocent ignorance.

"Um, you know, sir" she began with a nervous laugh, "I've been told that one of my best qualities is that I'm willing to learn new things. I'm willing to learn anything that I need to know about plants, if you do hire me as your secretary, sir."

The pause of silence that followed didn't bother Quinn as much as Chase's stoic face did. It seemed like hours passed – even though it had only truly been a few seconds – until he broke eye contact with her, flipped the folder closed, and then rested his forearms on his desk. Quinn began to feel anxious, her breath shallow and strained. Did she get the job? What if she didn't? Oh, she didn't even _want_ to think of how Miss Daniela would react if she didn't get in.

"Quinn," Chase started in a soft (and was that regretful?) tone, "I'm sorry but um, it seems like you _do_ have a lot to learn about flowers."

Oh no. She didn't get the job. She felt the pit of her stomach fall. Even though technically she already _had _a job, it still stung being rejected.

"Because," he continued, voice slowly increasing in volume with every word. "You are now the secretary of "The Reese Brothers" flower farm!"

Wait… she got the job? Quinn stared at him in mute shock, unable to register the fact that she actually got accepted when it initially sounded like she didn't. Chase stood from his chair, a pleasant smile on his face as he watched her reaction turn from shock to relief then to joy. It probably was a cruel way to tell somebody that they got the position but hey, things were a little dull lately. He had to find a little amusement somehow.

"I got the job!" Quinn asked after shooting up from her seat, shaking the hand Chase offered. When he smiled back and her and nodded in confirmation she had to restrain herself from literally jumping in joy. "Oh, thank you sir!"

'Yes! I'm in! Miss Daniela is going to be so happy to know this.'

"Quinn, I told you before that you can just call me Chase," he reminded with a chuckle.

"Oh, right. Sorry, si- er… Chase."

Sliding his chair back into place, Chase made his way over to the door and motioned for her to follow him. He continued to talk with his back to her, occasionally taking a glance back, telling her about how they had been searching for a new secretary for over two months now but only had about six applicants – including her. Quinn continued to follow but was only half listening, too busy thinking about how pleased her boss would be and what her next move was. After making her way around the building – down a few steps, a right turn, down a corridor, and through two glass doors – Quinn found herself underneath a wooden arc surrounded by green leaves, vines, and (2) white morning glories. For a moment there, she thought that she had lost Chase but soon found him near the end of the small tunnel of white and green.

"Hey man, I finally got us a new secretary." Chase was directing his voice to the man approaching the entrance. Taking a few steps further, Quinn slightly leaned over to her right to get a glimpse of who he was talking to.

The sunlight atop his head accentuated his curly chocolate brown hair and tan skin. Like Chase, this man was also wearing an opened collared shirt, the only difference being their colors. Chase's was a solid sky blue while his was a deep red in a plaid pattern. Worn out dark blue jeans rested low on his hips, held up with a simple black belt, and went all the way down pass his ankles. And rather than Converse shoes, he wore a pair of dark brown boots. As much as she hated to acknowledge it, Quinn couldn't help but wonder if he was a model because he certainly had the looks for it. It took a moment for Quinn to realize that they were waiting for her to come closer.

"Hey Quinn," Chase called over. She met Chase's eyes and shook her head, blushing slightly in embarrassment, and rushed over. "This is your new boss-"

Big mistake.

Just as she was about to shake the other man's outstretched hand, her heels chose that exact moment to betray her. (Just when everything was going so well too.) With a surprised shriek, Quinn lost her balance and fell forward…

… right into the arms of her new boss.

Pulling herself up using his 'strong and broad' – her mind couldn't help but notice – shoulders, Quinn found herself suddenly staring up into deep brown eyes.

"…Logan Reese," Chase finished awkwardly.

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(1) These lines are basically a translated and edited version of what the girl says in the show. I loved that part, haha. Made me laugh so much!

(2) I don't really know that much about flowers except for the basics (photosynthesis and all that stuff, lol) so I apologize if I ever mention any flowers that are in the incorrect season or whatever. I just look for random flowers on Google that I think look pretty. Haha

It's so sad to know that the Z101 craze is slowly dying down but hopefully people will still review. And to encourage that, I've got a proposition:** if I get at least 10 reviews in total, I will pick a random reviewer (if they have a account or provide an e-mail) and that person will receive a preview of the next chapter. However, if it doesn't hit 10, I'll still post the next chapter ASAP but no one will get a preview. Reviews with less than ten words will not be considered nor will repeats from the same person (annonymous or not).** Does that make sense? Hopefully it does. Haha We'll try and see how it goes for this chapter.

Next chapter: Quinn's first day at work and she already gets to see Logan with less clothing on. ;o

Until next time!

Always, Mina


	3. Chapter 2: Distractions & Interrogations

My sincerest apologies for not updating in over a month! To sum it all up: life got in the way. Well, that and hearing talented writers contemplating of leaving this section just saddened me to the point where I was asking myself if I should even continue writing myself. Thankfully, everything worked out and no one's (no one else) is leaving (for now)!

I was in sort of a rush to post this up so there may be some mistakes. Please let me know if you find any and I'll correct them right away.

**Disclaimer:** Dan Schneider and Nickelodeon own Zoey 101 and its characters. Not me. I also do not own the TV adaptation nor the actual books of Rose Tan's comedy/romance paperbacks _The Bud Brother Series_.

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**Beautiful Liar**

"Chapter 2: Distractions & Interrogations"

-_Quogan is Love_-

The moment her eyes met his, it seemed like time itself slowed down. She didn't even notice that her (fake) glasses had slipped down her nose; she was too focused on two strangely captivating brown eyes staring into hers to notice. Her eyes traveled south to his cheeks then to the bridge of his nose and couldn't help but notice how cute his nose was. Never in Quinn Pensky's life had she ever thought a man's _nose_ could look "cute" – until now. It just wasn't something an aspiring physician thought about. Well, there was always a first time for everything. When her eyes finally made their way down to his lips, she felt her stomach do a flip, and couldn't help but become fixated on them. She then couldn't help but wonder how it would feel like to kiss those lips. Would his lips be rough? Or soft? They certainly did look that way. Moist and slightly parted – very inviting and kissable lips indeed, she thought…

Wait a minute…

This was her new _boss_ she was thinking about kissing! No wait… this was her _real_ boss's _two-timing boyfriend_ who she was thinking about kissing! He was the enemy! She wasn't supposed to have any thoughts about kissing him! What was going on with her!

Abruptly snapping out of her stupor, Quinn forced down the blush that was coming onto her cheeks but only succeeded in leaving them tinted pink. The pair of strong arms holding her around the waist wasn't helping her contain her blush any either, although the warmth they emitted wasn't uncomfortable in the least. When she realized that he only had his hands there because she was still holding onto him for support, she straightened herself up and quickly withdrew her hands from his shoulders as if he burned her.

"Oh, I-I'm so sorry, sir!" Quinn apologized with a nervous laugh, taking one step backwards. Maybe putting more distance between them would calm the butterflies in her stomach. "I-I, um, I didn't mean to trip on you. Stupid shoes," she continued, rubbing her arm in embarrassment and mumbling the last part to herself.

Logan looked her over with a skeptical expression then took Chase aside to speak with him. "You hired _her_ as our secretary?" he asked disbelievingly in a harsh whisper.

"Yeah, why?" Chase replied with a nonchalant shrug, speaking also in a whisper so that Quinn wouldn't hear them. "What's wrong with her?" he asked, taking a quick glance at Quinn behind him and smiled when she gave a short wave that was accompanied with an awkward smile.

Logan stared at him incredulously, "What's _wrong_ with her? Chase, look at her! She's a total spaz! _She's_ the best you could do!"

"My best? Oh no, actually, I was saving my best effort for the last minute. You know, _after_ half a year's worth of work piles up on our desks from _not_ having a secretary and we're left staying up until two in the morning every weekend sorting everything out." Chase replied with a roll of his eyes, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Logan sighed exasperatedly, placing his hands on his hips. After taking another look at her, he turned back to Chase. "Couldn't you have at least picked a girl who, uh, didn't look like _that?_! I mean, c'mon, seriously? What are people going to think when they walk in and see _her_ sitting at the receptionist desk?" Logan exclaimed in a loud whisper, gesturing behind him to Quinn with his thumb. "What are _my _customers going to think when the moment they enter Logan Reese's flower farm, they see _that_!" At least his last secretary dressed… normally and looked good enough that he didn't mind seeing her every day. This girl on the other hand, he couldn't even imagine being able to look at her without quirking an eyebrow and inwardly snickering at her strange choice of wardrobe.

Although they had their backs facing her and were whispering (or at least, for Logan's case, _trying to_) Quinn had clearly heard that last part. She folded her arms across her chest and scoffed indignantly. If it weren't for the fact that he was her new boss and that she was on an undercover mission for her real boss, she would have used her zap-watch on him. Repeatedly. And she would have enjoyed every minute of it too. 'Damn rude, shallow, two-timing jerk…' Quinn thought to herself as she glared daggers to the back of his head. 'You don't deserve Miss Daniela! She is _way_ too nice of a person for you! Hmph, just wait until I find proof that you've been cheating on her.' She inwardly smirked, eager to dig up dirt on him.

"And what? Picked a girl more to your tastes: breasts and butt but small brains?" Chase retorted incredulously, "The last time I checked, the purpose of having a secretary was to help organize things for you, _not_ act as your eye candy."

"Hey! I'm only thinking about the image of the business, okay?" Logan defended none too quietly. "So don't go accusing me of anything! Remember, even though you're a manager, you still work for me Matthews."

Raking a hand through his unruly hair, Chase took a breath, mostly to calm down but also to sort out his next words before their conversation turned into another argument. They wouldn't get anywhere if that were to happen. "Look, man, I'm sorry, alright. But just trust my judgment on this one and give this girl a chance, okay? Even though she doesn't know a lot about flowers (yet) and," he paused, taking a look over Logan's shoulder at Quinn, "fashion, compared to all the other applicants, she is the best one that has come along.

"And I should know," Chase continued with a scoff, "I interviewed them all. You should've heard some of the answers they came up with. Scary."

Logan rolled his eyes and sighed before checking his watch before replying, "Fine, whatever. But _you're_ gonna be the one to train her, starting today." Chase smiled and patted Logan's shoulder in gratitude. "But if you're wrong about her and she isn't as good as our last secretary, I'm deducting your salary for the next two months and won't restrain myself from telling you 'I told you so,' in the end, got it?" Chase was lucky that he was in a rush to get to a meeting with their event coordinator. (And that they've been friends since high school.)

"I _highly_ doubt that's going to happen but yes sir!" Chase replied with a smile, giving Logan a mock salute to match.

* * *

Right after her first meeting with that irritating pompous – er, her new boss Logan, or 'Mr. Reese' as he told her to refer to him as, Quinn was instructed to accompany them to a Hawaiian themed restaurant. For a strictly business luncheon, of course. Chase had said it would be a good way to start her 'training' if she were there.

The meeting didn't last very long, much to Quinn's pleasure (she would've hated sitting there bored of out her mind listening to three _men_ talk about flowers), but it did give her a chance to observe and study her target. One major characteristic that she noticed – besides the sudden attitude of professionalism he exhibited while speaking to the man beside her (the event coordinator) – was his lack of details as he spoke. Unlike most people, who would usually explain in detail of their plans for a major event (especially to their own _event coordinator_), Logan purposely left the details out, focusing only on the basic facts: they had "a new breed of flowers" that wasn't available in any other flower farm in the entire country" and that they "developed it" themselves, hence it being a new and rare breed. What was he trying to hide and what was so special about these new flowers? Whatever was going on with Logan, Quinn was determined to break into his shell and expose him for the awful person that he really was. Which reminded her, she needed to contact Miss Daniela later on and update her on how things were going.

After lunch, the three drove back to the flower farm where Chase officially started her 'training' sessions, first off with showing her around the entire farm and telling her some of the basic facts about the flowers they grew there. Quinn wasted no time, and followed him around with a note pad and pen. More or less just for show.

From red roses and yellow tulips (her absolute favorite, no matter what color) to little white jasmines and pastel purple lilacs, it seemed as if their farm had all the flowers known to man. It was like they had their own secret garden hidden away in the middle of an urban jungle. 'A girl could get use to working in a place like this.'

Turning a corner following after Chase's lead, Quinn stopped, noticing a peculiar looking flower to her left. (1)Reaching over to the closest one, she gently touched its white petals, enjoying its velvety soft texture. Above that were numerous filaments, almost like petals except these were thinner in comparison and weren't one solid color. Starting from the center, each filament started as a deep burgundy color and then quickly transitioned into a creamy white before ending at the tips as violet. The intricate design they formed from the center-out when all grouped together like that was Quinn's favorite part about it, instantaneously, if not the fragrance.

"Ah, I see you've found our vines of blue passion flowers," Chase commented lightly, coming up to stand next to her.

"Passiflora caerulea, of course" Quinn mumbled to herself. "Yeah, they're really beautiful. Don't you just love the intricate pattern it makes in the middle below the five anthers?"

"Yeah, it's really –" he paused, furrowing his brows and squinting in another direction. "Sorry, uh, excuse me for a moment, Quinn." She watched as Chase walked over to one of their gardeners and started talking to them about the importance of cutting off the yellow wilting sections of a leaf in order to prevent spreading.

That scene, however, didn't hold her attention for long, especially when there was something _way more_ interesting to look at in the other direction. And that 'something' just happened to be her new boss getting ready to do some actual gardening himself (who knew that he actually did some physical work around the farm?) Of course, it wasn't simply because she was amazed that he was actually going to garden, oh no. That's not what caught her gaze and kept it locked on target. It was the fact that he was, ever-so slowly, unbuttoning his red plaid shirt in the process of getting ready to garden, gradually revealing more and more tan skin.

Naturally, Quinn, being the young heterosexual woman that she was, found it particularly difficult to look away, especially when what she was looking at was a very attractive – not to mention_very_ shirtless – man. Even with the shirt on, she already had an idea of what muscles lain hidden underneath, (she _did_ accidentally fall into his arms just a few hours prior) but now that that article of clothing was now hanging on a metal railing, there was nothing holding her back from enjoying the view.

Despite his irritatingly arrogant attitude, Quinn had to admit that he was very attractive and had a body to die for: tan broad shoulders, lean but muscular arms, and abs on his flat stomach, accentuated by every move he made. If the reason why Miss Daniela fell head over heels for this guy was just because of his looks, Quinn totally understood.

_But_ (and this was a _very huge_ 'but') that didn't mean the same thing would happen to her! No sir. Quinn was a smart girl who didn't believe in fairy tales and all that love-at-first-sight nonsense. There was only _lust_-at-first-sight. She wasn't going to lie and say that she didn't find him attractive because _he was_ handsome. But those feelings were only skin deep. 'I may find him attractive but that does not mean I like him! Liking someone and thinking they're attractive are two different things and, besides, there is _no way_ I would ever like someone as conceited as this jerk is.'

Mind coming back down to reality, (she seemed to be spacing out a lot today) Quinn decided to get to work on her mission. Forcing her eyes to look away, (damn things weren't obeying her! Just like her heels) she turned to Chase, who was now cutting the yellow leaves off the plants nearest to them.

"Um, Chase?" Quinn asked, remembering to drop the formalities with him. "Is Mr. Reese married or has a girlfriend?"

Pausing at what he was doing and taking a moment to glance at her then over to Logan and back, Chase answered her with a question, "Why? Do you like him?"

She scoffed incredulously and gave him a look, "Me? Oh no, of-"

He cut her off then exclaimed dramatically, one hand over his heart, "You've been talking to _me_ for the past hour and a half and you get a crush on _Logan_! Oh that kind of hurts, Quinn. That hurts. You know," he continued, resuming his work of cutting wilting leaves, "all you girls are the same; always going for the shirtless, tall, tan, and handsome guy."

Quinn smiled amusedly at his act and couldn't repress the giggle that came afterwards when he attempted to pout. Luckily for her, Chase was easy to get along with and had a sense of humor. It helped a lot knowing that not everybody there had her boss's attitude problem. At least she had somebody to talk to.

"Wait, so…" she started, a teasing smile on her lips, "with the way you just described Mr. Reese, does that mean _you_ think he's "tall, tan, and handsome"?"

"Now don't go twisting my words around, you know what I meant," he said, pointing an index finger at her, only half serious. "As for your question, no, he isn't married and he doesn't have a girlfriend, **but** I suggest that you don't get your hopes up," he warned lightly, setting down all the yellow leaves he had collected in his other hand before twisting a bright yellow knob on the bottom of a pipe. "You aren't the type of girl he would fall for. He doesn't go for weird girls who, uh," he paused, gesturing to her outfit, "dress like a school marm."

Quinn gave him a slight glare; feeling slightly offended even though she knew that that's exactly what she looked like (meant to look like?). "Oh, no offense!" he quickly apologized with a small chuckle, hands held up in between them. In response, she merely rolled her eyes and turned back around to watch Logan work but the exact moment she did so, the overhead sprinklers switched on. That didn't faze Quinn though. No, she didn't even flinch when little droplets of water started to drip down from her glasses to her cheeks. Why? Well, let's just say a hot shirtless man plus water equaled to a _very_, _very_… tantalizing image. Once again, her traitorous eyes refused to look anywhere else.

"Hey! What the hell man!" Logan shouted not long after, standing up from his crouched position. "Can't you see I'm working here?"

"Quinn, you know it's rude to stare," came the teasing voice of Chase in her ear, snapping her out of her haze. Even elbowing Chase in the stomach didn't prevent the blush from forming on her cheeks. All he did was laugh too.

"Hello! Chase!"

"Oh, sorry man! Sorry!" Chase shouted back apologetically, finally switching off the sprinklers with a grin. Teasing Quinn was just too much fun!

Not long after the 'sprinkler incident,' Quinn went inside the office to call Miss Daniela like she had been meaning to the entire day. Looking through the glass windows one more time to make sure that no one noticed her, Quinn snuck behind a wall and called Daniela on her cell. It took four rings until she finally answered.

"Hello, Miss? Yes, it's Quinn! Listen, I can't talk long so I'll just get to the point. I'm in and I already met your boyfriend. To be honest, I'm starting to see why you fell for him." She looked around the wall again to be sure that no one was in the office besides her. In doing so, however, she caught sight of Logan – who was still gardening shirtless outside – and couldn't help but stare for a moment longer than she had intended to before hiding behind the wall again. "Um, where was I? Oh yes! Yeah, he's handsome but he certainly isn't good enough for you. He is so full of himself and not to mention rude! Oh! And you know what else I found out? He's-"

This time when she looked around the wall, she saw that Logan was making his way towards the office doors. "Oh! I have to go; I'll call you again when I find anything else out." Hastily hanging up and pushing her cell phone into her skirt pocket, Quinn quickly made her way over to the cup of coffee that she had left on the coffee counter. Careful not to spill, she picked the cup up and met Logan at the door just as he was about to step inside.

"Coffee, sir?" she asked with a perky smile.

Keeping the door open with one of his hands, Logan stared at her in confusion. "Uh, Miss…?"

"Pensky, sir, but you can just call me Quinn." She held up the cup of coffee, offering it to him.

"Uh, no thanks. I don't need hot coffee," he replied dismissively, sidestepping to get around her. He dropped the gardening gloves he had been holding on a random chair before making his way over to his desk.

Quinn turned around but only took three steps towards him before stopping where she stood. Why did knots suddenly appear inside her stomach the moment his bare shoulder brushed against hers? "But Mr. Reese, you're hot."

Logan's eyes snapped up to meet hers with a quirked brow. "Huh?"

"Ah, I – uh, wh-what I meant to say was… you must be hot from gardening outside," Quinn amended with a nervous laugh, late to realize that her comment hadn't come out as she had intended it to. "Maybe you would like something to drink after being out in the sun for so long?"

"Yeah, and you wanna give me _hot_ coffee?" he asked rhetorically, giving her a strange look as he put his shirt back on and began to button it up. 'Wow, Chase sure knows how to pick 'em.'

"Oh, well how about I just get you some _cold_ orange juice then, sir?"

"No, there's no need for that," Logan replied as he grabbed his car keys, camera, and a black folder from his desk. "I'm on my way to Burbank. I'll just pick up something along the way."

Jumping at the opportunity to get more information out of him, Quinn quickly asked, "What are you going to do in Burbank? Who are you going to meet? What time? Where exactly are you going?" Okay, maybe interrogated was the more appropriate word here but that didn't matter. As long as she found solid proof that he really was cheating on Miss Daniela then Quinn was satisfied. Someone as nice and caring as Miss Daniela didn't deserve a guy like this and Quinn was determined to prove to her that he wasn't worth her time and love.

Brows furrowed, he gave her another strange look and as he made his way towards the exit replied, "That's none of your business."

Quinn glared at sandy brown curls as Logan walked out the door. 'Okay, fine. Be that way, but eventually _I will_ find out where you go to meet that trollop of yours that you're cheating on Miss Daniela with. Hmph!'

Turning on her heel, she walked over to the file cabinet behind Logan's desk and began looking through them. The next time she called Miss Daniela, she had to have new and useful information on Logan to give her and what better way to get it than snooping around his desk? Five minutes later, after ruffling through several folders and drawers, Quinn didn't have much information than she had started with. Most of the papers in his desk were about the flower farm and didn't provide and new and interesting information that she didn't already know. There were no hidden pictures of him with another girl or even a girl's phone number either. Shutting another drawer full of folders and papers closed, Quinn sighed and was just about to get up from Logan's chair and give up when she noticed something glossy and black underneath one of the folders. Pulling the object out from underneath the stack, she realized that it was a picture frame.

'That's a weird place to put a picture frame.' Quinn thought as she flipped the frame over, revealing a picture of Logan with an older man that looked somewhat like him. He looked to be around his late forty's to early fifties and the place where the photo had been taken seemed to be inside a studio of some kind. The older man had one hand tucked in his pocket while the other was draped around Logan's shoulder. Even though Logan's arms were crossed over his chest a smile was on his face just like the man next to him.

'I wonder who this is.'

Hearing footsteps, Quinn looked up and saw Chase coming towards her. She knew that she would probably get in trouble for snooping around her boss's desk but curiosity got the best of her. She just had to know who that other man in the picture was.

"Hey, Quinn" Chase simply greeted with a wave, walking pass her to one of the file cabinets. No reprimand? No interrogation on why she was snooping around the boss's desk? Wow, Chase was more trusting than she had expected. Either that or he was just foolish. Whichever one really.

"Hi Chase. Um, can I ask you a question?" Quinn said somewhat hesitantly.

"Besides the one you just asked me?" he quipped good naturedly, crossing his arms across his chest as he leaned on the file cabinet. "Okay, ask me."

She held up the framed photo to him to see and pointed to the man standing next to Logan. "Who's this man over here with Logan?"

Chase pushed off the cabinet to take a closer look at the photo. "Oh! That's Malcolm Reese," he replied in recognition. "Logan's dad."

Where had she heard that name before? For some reason it sounded so familiar. With her brows scrunched up in thought, Quinn tried to remember just where had she heard the name Malcolm Reese before. It irked her to no end whenever she couldn't remember something that was just on the tip of her tongue! "Malcolm R… oh! The famous TV and movie producer?" Quinn said in surprise. Of course, why hadn't she recognized him in the first place? The studio in the background should have been a dead giveaway. "He's Logan's father?"

"Yup, the one and the same," Chase nodded in confirmation then walked over to his own desk which was not that far away from Logan's. "It's hard to believe that even though he has a rich dad and owns several homes in California, Logan still works at a place like this, huh?"

"My thoughts exactly," she said with a nod, setting the photo down atop the white desk calendar. This newfound information probably wouldn't be of much interest to Daniela but the last part of what Chase had just said probably would be. "So, if he owns several homes, where does he live now?" Since bombarding someone with questions seemed to be a little too suspicious – and not to mention the least effective – Quinn realized, she might as well try the subtle approach. "As in, his current address?"

"Why do you need to know that?" Chase looked at her questioningly with furrowed brows, "I mean I know you like him (to which Quinn replied indignantly with a cry of, "I do not!") but that's starting to sound a little stalker-ish, Quinn. I hired you because I thought you were a professional, put-together, and conservative woman. Now after seeing a shirtless man you turn into an obsessive teenager in puppy love? Do you have multiple personality disorder?"

Quinn rolled her eyes and began to explain. "Chase, I do not have MPD nor do I harbor any romantic feelings – puppy love or whatever you want to call it – for Logan Reese! The only reason why I'm asking is because I want to get to know my employer more so that I can do my job even better, that's it."

"Right," he agreed sarcastically with a roll of his eyes, twisting his chair around so that he faced his own desk instead of Quinn.

"It's true!" she insisted, placing her hands on his desk. "It just doesn't go for Mr. Reese either, it goes for you too, Chase. I'd like to know what your hobbies are, what your interests are, likes and dislikes…" Hey, lying wasn't all too difficult after all. Well, as long as she wasn't nervous.

Chased stared at her for a few moments before replying, "How about a dislike for impromptu interviews and creepy stalker-ish questions? Does that count?"

Rolling her eyes at a chuckling Chase, Quinn turned around and walked over to the receptionist desk.

There was always tomorrow.

* * *

**Please review!**

(1) Sorry if any of this information is incorrect. I did do some research but I am not certain if this information is truly correct.

A **huge** thanks to my good friend Haley for helping me out with the information about the blue passion flower. :) Oh and congrats to her too because she was the reviewer who I chose at random to receive a preview of this chapter!

The same rules apply for the next chapter. This time let's try... at least 18 reviews? Not too much, right?

Next chapter: Quinn gives Daniela some useful information about Logan which helps her track him down one evening but in the process, accidentally ruins something very valuable to the flower farm.

Until next time!

Always, Mina


	4. Chapter 3: One Disaster after Another

One of my biggest pet peeves is whenever someone says they're going to do something or meet you someplace but then cancel the last minute. It's even worse when they don't even bother telling you at all and everything is all ready to go! Argh. Whatever.

Anyway, sorry for my little rant there. I'm just a little annoyed right now. On a more cheerful note, I'm seriously trying to improve my writing/updating habits and updating faster is high on that list. There's only about a month left of my vacation (sadly) but I still have sooo much I want to write! I know that I won't be able to during the school year so I'm going to try and write like the wind before then. Wish me luck! And remember, all the reviews - preferably thorough ones - I receive help. ) -hinthint-

I was in a rush to finish this so please excuse any mistakes you may find. Please tell me about any inconsistencies or if you're confused about something and I'll fix it right away.

Without further adieu, here's the next chapter! Enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** Dan Schneider and Nickelodeon own Zoey 101 and its characters. Not me. I also do not own the TV adaptation nor the actual books of Rose Tan's comedy/romance paperbacks _The Bud Brother Series_.

* * *

**Beautiful Liar**

"Chapter 3: One Disaster after Another"

-_Quogan is Love_-

"You sure you don't wanna go? The rest of the guys are gonna be there."

"Yeah, I'm not really in much of a drinker." Chase declined with a shake of his head as he checked his desk, making sure he wasn't forgetting anything. "You guys have fun though," Chase said with a sigh then continued in a more serious tone, sticking his index finger out, "Just don't drink and drive."

"Duh," Logan said with a roll of his eyes. "Okay, suit yourself man." Logan replied with a shrug, taking his car keys out of his pocket and walking over to the exit.

"Hey Quinn," Chase called over to her as he followed behind Logan, absolutely ready to go home and go to bed. It was a particularly busy day, especially with all the deliveries he had to make, and all he wanted to do was curl up in bed and sleep 'til noon. "Are you going to be fine here by yourself?"

Quinn shut down her computer and raised a brow at him, "Chase, what do I look like, eight?"

He tilted his head to the side as he looked her over, "Well, when I look at you at this angle…" In response, Quinn crumpled up a piece of paper and threw it at him. It hit him directly on his head. Well, more like his bushy hair. "Hey!" he cried, covering the spot with his hand before bending down to pick up the paper she had thrown. "You dented my 'fro."(1)

Quinn gave him a look but couldn't hold it for long before she started giggling, shaking her head. "Just go. I'll be fine."

Chase nodded and tossed the ball of paper into the trash before giving the keys to Quinn. "Alright then, Ms. Pensky. Here are the keys, lock up when you're done, okay?"

Quinn nodded, standing from her desk to place some paperwork inside one of the file cabinets before bidding the departing men goodnight and waving goodbye. Once she saw both of them enter their cars, Quinn dashed over to Logan's desk, determined to find something, anything that would be of use to her and Miss Daniela. It was her fourth day at work and ever since the first day she hadn't been able to find out anything new or important. She either had been too busy with piles of work to get done or didn't have a chance to snoop around Logan's desk like she had before. So, she figured the night when Chase and Logan were supposed to leave early to go out with their friends was the best time to do it. Both men would be gone and she would be left alone at the office, free to look around Logan's desk without the worry of getting caught.

Quinn was determined to find something new to tell Miss Daniela. Besides the same old type of paper work, there wasn't anything new on Logan's desk that was of interest to Quinn. She already checked his file cabinet and all there was inside there were folders filled with paper about the flower farm, their clients, and other business related paperwork. As she stopped her search to think, Logan's desk calendar caught her eye. More specifically, a _date_ and _time_ and _place_ on his calendar caught her eye. Lifting the clear plastic covering, Quinn inspected the date – which happened to be tomorrow – and smiled.

'Bingo.'

Grabbing a piece of Post It paper from his desk, Quinn hastily jotted down the information and tucked it into her pocket. Just as she dropped the pen back into the cup, she heard a distant voice approaching the office. Whether it was Chase or Logan, she couldn't be seen snooping around her boss's desk – again. If it was Chase, he would probably find it suspicious and question her about it, despite the fact that he didn't the first time he saw her at Logan's desk. But if it was Logan, oh would she have _a lot_ of explaining to do just to not get yelled at, much less fired. Either way, she didn't want to risk getting caught, not when she, after how many days, finally had some new information to give Miss Daniela.

Looking around for an escape or hiding place, Quinn opted for underneath the table and got down on her hand and knees. Not a moment later, she realized the ridiculousness and absurdity of her choice of hiding place. Their desks didn't have any table cloths; there was nothing hiding her besides the sides of the desk. The voice was getting closer. Quinn had to think fast!

Standing from her crouched position, she turned around and noticed a small window beside the file cabinet. 'Better than hiding under his desk!' she reasoned. Without a second thought, Quinn quickly pushed the window open, stuck her head out to make sure it had a safe landing spot, and scrambled out. Apparently it was just in time too. Not long after her legs landed on the soft moist ground, she heard the owner of the voice, which happened to be Logan, come over to the desk she had previously been at. It sounded like he was talking to someone on the phone.

"Well is it _my _fault that it wasn't in the car?" he said incredulously with an indignant scoff. There was a slight pause as the person he was talking to responded before Logan spoke again. "Whatever. I got it so I'm on my way now. Later."

Frozen on the spot and heart pounding in her chest, Quinn listened to his footsteps fade before releasing the breath she had been holding. Placing a hand to her chest to calm her breathing, she finally took the time to look at her surroundings. Since it was evening and most of the lights were already switched off, Quinn wasn't really able to see much of where she would be landing. All she saw were dark outlines of flowers and dirt. Her vision wasn't mistaken. She had landed – hands first – onto a patch of flowers, instantly crushing them with her weight. Well it was better, and not to mention safer, than landing in a pile of rakes. Jerking her hand off one of the poor plants, she quickly scrambled to her feet and off the patch of flowers.

"Oh crap!"

'I hope these weren't important.' Quinn thought, biting her lip.

* * *

After securing the towel wrapped around her head, Quinn shrugged on her bathrobe and stepped into her bedroom with a content sigh. It was Friday, her day off, and she couldn't be happier. She actually hadn't realized it was her day off until midway through her shower and when she did, she laughed at herself and decided to stay underneath the relaxing warm spray of water longer. It had been a long week and a day off is exactly what she needed, but the moment she opened her dresser, the sound of Miss Daniela's ringtone on her cell phone caught her attention. Quinn sighed, plopped down on her bed, and answered her phone.

"Hello? Hi, Miss Daniela!"

"Hey Quinn, so what have you got for me?" Daniela asked, getting straight to the point. "What else did you find out?" It had been exactly five days since she sent Quinn off on her undercover mission and Daniela was eager to hear what her personal assistant had been able to find out so far.

"Um, nothing really. I sent you pretty much all the stuff I know so far in my text yesterday." Quinn replied, holding the phone in between her shoulder and ear as she poured some body lotion into her palm.

"Oh, I see…" the disappointment was evident in her voice. "Um, but have you seen a girl with him? Did you find out who he's cheating on me with?"

"Well…" Her question caused Quinn to pause for a moment, remembering what Chase had told her the first day she began to work at the flower farm. "No, but… he's been telling people that he doesn't have a girlfriend, that he's still single." She informed sadly. When Daniela didn't reply right away Quinn couldn't help but feel the need to apologize and try to console her boss who was – by the lack of response – upset over this new information. "But think of it this way: at least he isn't cheating on you," she replied with an unsure smile, trying to cheer up Daniela or at least get a response from her.

Tilting her head back as she finished off her glass of liqueur, Daniela brought her knees up to her chest and twisted around in her chair. He tells people that he's still single? How could he say that when he had her! This wasn't right…

"Uh… so, how's his schedule? Is he really as busy as he says he is?"

"Oh, absolutely! He's actually been very busy lately," Quinn replied while nodding her head even though she knew Daniela couldn't see her. "In fact, now that you mention it, I just remembered that later this evening he has a meeting in Burbank."

At this piece of information, Daniela's eyes brightened up instantly. "Meeting? What meeting? Where in Burbank?" she asked quickly.

Quinn began to chew on her bottom lip as she racked her brain for what she had written down on that Post It. She had gotten home late last night and after taking a shower before bed, put her clothes straight into the washing machine. It wasn't until early that morning before she showered that she realized the Post It had still been in her skirt and was now soggy and illegible. 'Damn it, why'd I have to forget about the Post It!'

"Um… I think the place was…" it was on the tip of her tongue! She could picture herself back in the office, looking at his calendar, and writing it down on the Post It. Now what was written on that piece of paper? Slowly, the memory began to come back to her and the image of the Post It became clearer and clearer. "Oh! I-I remember that it's at seven o' clock this evening and the place, uh… I think it's at this place called…" she trailed off, trying to focus on the image in her head. She had the sound in her head but couldn't make out exactly what the name of the place was!

"Called? What was the place called?" Daniela persisted, holding her breath, anxiously waiting.

Finally, it just felt like something clicked in her mind and Quinn remembered what was written on Logan's calendar for today's date. She wasn't one hundred percent sure but sure enough that she was confident to tell Miss Daniela. "Ah, I think it's this place called… um, Oceanstar Hotel or something?"

All Quinn heard next was a click then silence.

"Hello? Hello? Miss Daniela?"

* * *

(2)"I'm crossbreeding gold dust and white rosemallow," Logan explained, showing the pictures he took with his camera to the woman sitting before him. She took the camera from him and began to look through the pictures on the small screen.

"Oh, you did the right thing." The woman gave a small smile and nodded as she inspected the images. "If they're already budding then they should be ready just in time for the open house, more or less."

She handed Logan back his camera. "Really? That's great! I really hope so." He continued to talk to her even though he wasn't making eye contact, just staring at the pictures. "These flowers mean so much to me, probably as much as the business itself because th–"

Until a pair of lips appeared out of nowhere, interrupted what he was about to say, and landed on his.

Logan jerked back at the sudden contact and stared up at the owner of those lips. It was her again.

"Hi, baby. I really missed you."

Daniela smiled at him as she held onto his forearm. Taking a seat in one of the empty chairs at the table they were at, she turned to the woman sitting in front of Logan then looked back to him. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your… friend?"

Logan continued to stare at her with aggravation – once the initial feeling of shock subsided – but did as she had asked nonetheless. "Dr. Park, this is Daniela Christenson. Daniela this is Dr. Park, botany specialist." His voice did a complete one eighty, irritation and barely concealed anger replacing the calm and hopeful one. While he introduced the women to each other, Daniela gave Dr. Park a sweet smile and shook her hand, saying it was a pleasure to meet her.

"Oh, aren't you the famous commercial model?" the botanist asked with interest. "The one in all the magazines?"

Daniela smiled and giggled softly, pleasantly surprised that she was recognized. "Why, yes. That's me."

The two women seemed to be getting along just nicely. Logan, on the other hand, had enough and decided that it was best that he leave before he did something that would have him banned from the hotel. He couldn't stand being in that woman's presence any longer.

"I gotta go; another meeting to go to. We'll discuss this another time, Dr. Park." Logan said without giving Daniela so much as a glance as he stood from his seat, barely contained annoyance clear in his tone of voice, and shook the botanist's hand. He pushed in his chair and swiftly walked out of the hotel café, into the parking lot, into his car, and drove off. He didn't really have another meeting to go to; he just wanted to get away from that crazy woman. Unfortunately for him though, she was a persistent one. Not even five minutes after leaving the hotel, Logan's cell phone began to ring and who was it but none other than that woman again. He instantly pushed the 'reject' button and continued to drive, barely able to hold in his frustration. His knuckles began to turn white at the force of how tightly he was clutching the steering wheel.

'What doesn't she get about 'leave me alone'! God!'

His cell phone began to go off again but this time when he looked at the caller ID, it said "Dr. Park". Did she forget to tell him something?

"Yes, Dr. Park?" he answered, holding the phone to his ear while his other hand held onto the steering wheel.

"Hi baby!" came the pleading voice of Daniela. "Can we talk?"

Logan sighed in exasperation and rolled his eyes, "Why can't you just leave me alone!"

"No wait, please baby." Daniela persisted, forcing her voice to keep steady and the sting of tears to go away. "Even for just one minute, please. Please." She begged, pausing for a moment to listen for a response, but when she didn't get one she added, "I really love you."

"You're insane." He replied in finality before hanging up, tossing his cell phone to the passenger's seat.

Daniela heard the click and knew Logan wasn't on the line anymore. But even so, before taking the botanist's phone away from her ear, said in a soft voice, "Bye, Logan. I love you." She held onto the phone tighter, shut her eyes, and allowed the tears to silently fall, unable to stop her heart from slowly breaking once again.

* * *

"Ugh, I can't believe that guy!" Quinn exclaimed into her phone as she sat at her desk, ready for another day of work but this wasn't how she had expected it to start off. "Don't worry Miss Daniela; I'll take care of him."

After hearing about what happened last night, Quinn was extremely determined to fix things between her two bosses. She would either convince Miss Daniela that she was too good for Logan Reese or she would make Logan realize exactly what he's losing by treating Daniela so horribly. Placing her phone on her desk, Quinn opened one of her desk drawers and took out three men's magazines, all with the same cover girl: Daniela Christenson, clad in a bikini or lingerie.

'Ha, after he takes a look at these he'll realize what a beautiful and sexy woman he's losing and regret treating her so badly!' She thought determinedly to herself, inwardly smirking as she organized the magazines on top of Logan's desk, making sure they were directly in the center so he wouldn't miss them. Not even ten seconds afterwards, Quinn turned around to walk back to her desk and saw Logan come through the entrance.

"Morning Mr. Reese! Would you like some coffee?" she asked, feigning a cheerful smile once he neared. Logan didn't immediately acknowledge her; walking straight to his desk and placing his papers and camera on the table. He paused a moment, taking notice of the magazines on his desk. Quinn watched his face, trying to decipher his reaction but couldn't tell what was going on in his mind.

"No thanks," he finally replied, looking at her for the first time that morning. "Just go outside and tell Roger to move the hibiscus plants into pots."

'Hmph, not even a 'good morning' or a 'please'?' Quinn thought to herself, giving him a look before slowly turning to face the back door. She deliberately began to walk away as slowly as possible, keeping her gaze on Logan and the magazines.

"Sometime today Pensky," Logan said with a tired sigh when he saw that she hadn't even moved two feet away yet.

Glaring at him inconspicuously through her large glasses, she gave a short nod then walked towards the back door at a normal pace. Quinn looked back just as she opened it to go outside, but all she saw was Logan standing by his desk looking anywhere but the magazines. She sighed then proceeded to the gardens in search of the head gardener. She'd have to think of a different strategy.

Once seated, Logan looked at the magazines on his desk again. They were overlapping each other but given just enough space so that the cover girl on the front was clearly seen. On one of the magazines, Daniela was lying in the sand clad in a simple black bikini, hair splayed out and damp, a sultry expression on her flawless face. On another magazine, she had more clothing on – if a nearly transparent shawl was even considered as clothing – but even so, she wasn't covered much anyway. She _was _wearing a matching set of white lacy lingerie. The third and last magazine wasn't much different from the two. With a body and face like hers there was no doubt that she turned heads. She wasn't a commercial model for nothing, after all. But Logan, for some reason, wasn't affected by her appearance. If he was, his face certainly didn't demonstrate it. Not long after Quinn stepped out, Logan gathered the magazines together then tossed them into the trash bin beside his desk without a second thought.

Outside, while Quinn was carefully walking down the damp stone steps that led to the gardens, Chase pulled up in a white truck. He stepped out, locked the doors, and then started to walk straight to the gardens. Along the way, he met up with Quinn.

"Hey, morning Quinn!" Chase greeted with a wave without stopping.

"Good morning, Chase!" Quinn replied with a smile, keeping up with his pace. "Um, can you help me with something?"

Chase gave her a mock suspicious look, "Depends, does it involve a hairy tarantula named Herman or a deadly freakish germ?"(3)

Quinn, clueless as to what he was talking about, raised a brow at him. "Huh?"

"Nothing, nothing," he replied, shaking his head with a chuckle. "What do you need help with?"

She rolled her eyes at his antics, a playful smile on her lips. Chase had the weirdest sense of humor sometimes. "Okay, well Mr. Reese asked me to tell Roger to move the hibiscus plants into pots." Chase nodded to show that he was listening, waiting for her to continue. "Problem is: I don't know where to start looking for Roger or where these hibiscus flowers are."

"Well, I just got here so I don't know where Roger is. He's usually tending the roses and daisies at the north end of the farm at this time," Chase explained, looking at his watch to be sure. "So you can check there first. As for the hibiscuses, I can just show you where they are. So just in case if ever you need to find them again you'll know where to look." He motioned for Quinn to follow him as he entered the wire fencing of the gardens.

"We keep them in the back, near where Logan's desk is." Chase continued, walking towards the side of the building with Quinn in tow.

She scrunched her brows quizzically before raising them in realization, index finger pointed up. "Ah, because they don't require as much sunlight, correct?" She saw Chase nod without turning back to look at her. But after thinking about it, she decided – sunlight or no sunlight – that certainly was a strange place to grow hibiscus flowers. There had to be another reason for planting them there. So she asked, "But… why are they separated from the rest of the flowers? I mean, you could've just grouped them together with the other flowers that require less sunlight. Why put them in a special place?"

He stopped in his tracks then slowly turned to face her. After looking around as if making sure no one else was around them, Chase leaned in closer and asked in a whisper, "Okay, well, can you keep a secret?"

Secret? What did hibiscus flowers have to do with a secret? Ah well, if it had to do something with Logan and helped her in her mission then Quinn was all ears. "Of course. What is it?"

Looking around one last time, Chase motioned for Quinn to come closer to the side of the office building then began to explain, "Those hibiscus flowers are a rare new breed and can't be found anywhere else in the whole country. They're the farm's prized possession and that's what we'll be showcasing at the open house. Logan takes special care of them – for business and personal reasons – so that's part of the reason why they're hidden away from the rest of the flowers."

Quinn absorbed Chase's words. _"We keep them in the back, near where Logan's desk is… They're the farm's prized possession… a rare and new breed and can't be found anywhere else…"_

But that meant…

The flower patch she fell on the other night was…

'Oh. My. God… Crap! They were important!'

"I'll show them to you. They're right over here –"

"No!" Quinn yelled, quickly grabbing Chase's arm and pulling him back before he turned the corner to where the – now destroyed – hibiscus patch was. "Don't! Don't! Ah…" Chase stopped and looked at her in confusion. Quinn racked her brain for a way to get Chase to leave. He, and especially Logan, could not see what happened to those plants or she would be _so_ dead. She would have to fix them before anyone saw that they were ruined, but first things first: she had to get Chase away from there. "I-I uh… I already saw them! Yes, you mean the bright yellow ones with the red in the center, right? Yep! I saw those already," she said in a rush.

She looked at her wrist watch then exclaimed, "Oh look at the time! Chase, you should go. Remember you still have that delivery to make at the wedding this afternoon!" He continued to look at her with furrowed brows as she began to push him in the other direction. "You know how stressed out brides can be on their wedding day so you shouldn't keep her waiting!"

"Uh, yeah. Okay, then." Chase replied slowly as he began to walk in the other direction. When she was sure he was out of sight, Quinn made a mad dash to her car. Chase would be at that event the entire day so she was safe there. As long as Logan didn't come out to work on those plants Quinn was almost certain she could pull this off without a hitch. Now all she needed to do was fix those plants.

She needed to get to Lola's, _pronto_.

* * *

"Hey Quinn, you're back early." Lola greeted from her seat on the couch when saw Quinn come through the door. Normally, Quinn lived with her dad, aunt, and siblings but ever since Daniela put her on this secret mission, she's been living with her long time best friend Lola Martinez. Her place was closer to the flower farm and was also conveniently not far from Miss Daniela's penthouse suite. Plus, it also helped keep her mission a secret. The only ones who knew of it were Miss Daniela, Lola, and herself. Truthfully, Miss Daniela preferred not to have anyone else know about it besides herself and Quinn, but Quinn didn't see the harm in telling her one and only best friend. "Is everything –"

Kicking off her troublesome heels, Quinn ran pass Lola and up the stairs to her room while yelling breathlessly along the way, "Sorry no time to talk have to fix plants or I am _so _dead!"

Lola stared at the stairs as she heard Quinn slam her door shut. "…okay?" She finished slowly, not understanding anything Quinn had just said but decided to just shrug it off. She'd just ask her about it later. Taking a sip of pineapple kiwi Blix, she leaned back into the couch and continued to watch Girly Cow.

Upstairs in her room, Quinn hastily grabbed the chemicals and equipment she needed, turned on a Bunsen burner, and began to mix things together. It took about an hour – faster than she usually would have taken – to invent a plant regenerative serum and another half hour (most of it spent waiting anxiously for results) testing it out on the potted plant in her bedroom. Once she saw one crushed leaf gradually rise and repair itself to its previous state, Quinn sighed in relief that her home-made serum actually worked on her first attempt. At least _one thing _was working out for her today. Now all she needed to do was bring it to the farm and sprinkle the hibiscus plants with it and everything would be fine.

Borrowing a thermos from Lola's kitchen, Quinn quickly poured the substance into it, twisted the cap on, and was out the door before Lola could even say goodbye to her. By the time she got back to the farm it had been two hours since she had left. Hopefully nobody noticed her absence but just in case somebody had – namely, Logan – then she had an apology and an excuse ready. She entered through the back this time, hid the thermos behind her back, and casually made her way over to where the hibiscus patch was. There were about half a dozen workers gardening around her but all of them seemed to be too engrossed in their tasks to even notice she was there. Perfect.

She walked backwards towards the crushed and wilted plants, scanning the garden for anyone who may have been watching her. After deciding that the coast was clear, Quinn squatted down, twisted the thermos open, and began to water each flower with her regenerative serum. The hibiscus flowers were bigger than the plant she tested it on so Quinn figured that it would take a little longer for the serum to take effect. She could only hope that Logan wasn't planning on checking up on them anytime soon.

Once the task was done, she snuck away just as inconspicuously as she had come and went back to her desk at the front of the main entrance, sighing in relief that soon everything would be fine again. Just as she began to read through the papers that were left on her desk, getting back to work, she noticed a Post It attached to the corner of her table. She pulled it off and read the note, her lips curving into a small smile after she did. Things were really working out for her today. First, she managed to invent a plant regenerative serum in record time without a hitch, allowing her to fix the important patch of flowers she had accidentally destroyed, and now she found out that Logan had left for a meeting over an hour ago and wasn't expected to be back until later that night. Everything really _was_ going her way today. Surely the flowers would be in perfect condition by the time he got back.

All this good news put Quinn in a really light mood so when the phone rang she answered it with a genuine cheerful voice.

"Hello, you've reached The Reese Brother's Flower Farm. May I help you?"

"Hello, who is this?" It sounded like an older woman.

"This is Quinn Pensky, ma'am. May I ask who I am speaking to?" she asked politely, twirling the cord in between her fingers.

"This is Mrs. Elizabeth Reese, Logan's mother." Quinn's eyes grew wider, completely caught off guard and suddenly nervous. She hadn't been expecting to receive a call from Logan's mother! "Quinn, is my son there? I've been trying to reach him all afternoon but his phone is off."

Hold on a second. This was perfect! Who better to get useful information on Logan than from his own mother? This day just kept getting better and better didn't it?

"Oh, I'm sorry Mrs. Reese, but he's been in a meeting for a couple of hours now. Would you like to leave him a message?" she asked, holding the phone in between her shoulder and ear as she grabbed a piece of paper and a pen.

Elizabeth sighed in disappointment over the phone then told Quinn, "I wanted to surprise him but… could you just let him know that I'm here at the airport waiting for him to pick me up? I just arrived from New York."

"Oh, of course Mrs. Reese. I'll let him know right away. What's your flight number and what time did you arrive?" Quinn quickly jotted down all the information then hung up. Not a moment later she took her cell phone out and called Miss Daniela, excited to tell her about the information that she was able to attain.

* * *

Even though it was well pass noon time, Daniela Christenson was in her nightgown, sprawled underneath her bed sheets sleeping, until the incessant ringing of her phone woke her up. It had been a tiring day for her, with all the photo shoots and commercials she had scheduled and she couldn't wait to get back into bed – even if the sun was still out – once all her obligations were taken care of. Groaning slightly, Daniela turned and reached over to her bedside table in search of her phone, accidentally knocking over her empty glass of wine while doing so. Finally, her hand felt the ringing glossy object and pressed the green button to answer the call.

"Hello?" she answered groggily, her mind still trying to clear the fog of dreamland.

"Hello, Miss Daniela? It's me." Quinn said, fiddling with the paper in her hand.

"Oh… hi, Quinn." She sounded like she was still half asleep, but Quinn was certain the information she was about to give her would wake her up.

"I'm sure that you're going to be pleased with the new information I've got for you." Quinn stated with an excited smile. "Your boyfriend's mom just called. She just flew in from New York and now she's at the airport waiting for him to pick her up," she informed.

Now Quinn had her attention.

"Really?" Daniela asked eagerly, shooting up from bed, her sleepiness completely gone. "A-and you got the flight details, right?"

Quinn nodded, replying in confirmation, "Oh, of course Miss! It's right here."

Daniela smiled, the excitement building up inside her and a plan forming in her head. "Very good, Quinn! I'm so proud of you." She praised, hopping out of bed to go into her bathroom. "Text me the flight details so I can pick up my mother-in-law. Let me just get changed." Her image in the mirror still looked tired but inside she felt energized, especially with this new piece of information. If she couldn't get through to Logan directly, she'd just have to recruit some help from 'mother'.

Quinn paused and furrowed her brows, slightly worried that Daniela might be acting a little too forward. The poor woman probably didn't even know about her since Logan kept insisting that he was single. She expressed her concerns, "But, Miss Daniela, isn't that a little too… sudden?"

The model waved it off, walking back to her bedroom to pour herself another glass of wine. After filling her glass halfway, she reassured Quinn, "No, of course not. In fact, I'm sure that she'll be pleasantly surprised that her son's _girlfriend_ is the one picking her up."

"Oh, alright then, Miss." Quinn yielded, even though she still had a bad feeling about this plan. "I'll just let Mr. Reese know –"

"No!" Daniela suddenly exclaimed into the phone then continued in a calmer voice, "Don't tell Logan. That way, it'll truly be a surprise once he finds out! And, remember what happened the other night? At the hotel…?"

Their conversation over the phone earlier that morning appeared in her head. "Oh, right, right." She said, nodding. Maybe it would be best if Logan didn't know anything about this yet. She really didn't want to receive another tearful phone call from Miss Daniela again. "Oh and maybe you can even tell her about the horrible way he's been treating you," Quinn suggested. "I'm sure she'll understand, she is a woman after all. She'll set him straight."

The smile on her lipstick stained lips was sincere as she replied, "Thanks for understanding, Quinn. You're the best."

Quinn said goodbye then smiled, hopeful that this time her boss's plan would work and everything would be straightened out soon.

'I fixed Logan's flowers _and_ possibly Daniela's relationship with him. Hm, today must be my lucky day.' Quinn thought to herself, happy that she accomplished so much already. It wasn't even anywhere near closing time yet too.

* * *

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and a person's good luck must run out some time. It was later that evening, while Quinn was quietly working at her desk waiting for the clock to strike nine, that she heard distant but loud shouting coming from outside followed by the indistinct voices of people talking to each other. Curious to find out what was going on, she quickly went outside through the front entrance only to find a crowd of gardeners making their way towards the garden entrance. She followed suit, making her way through the crowd until she arrived to the side of the office building where the crowd stopped, creating a circle in the middle. Spotting Roger looking at the scene before them a few feet away from her, Quinn decided to go over and ask him what was going on.

"Roger, do you know what's going on here? What's with all the noise and why is everyone outside?" she asked curiously, trying to look above the crowd.

The gardener looked at her worriedly and answered, "Mr. Reese is furious. Someone tampered with his hibiscuses."

'What! But I fixed them!'

Now _she_ was beginning to worry. Had her serum not taken effect yet? It had been over seven hours since she applied it! The hibiscus flowers should've been back to normal by now. Lifting up her pencil skirt above her knees, Quinn began to carefully walk over the rows of flowers and plants, trying to get closer to the front of the crowd. Once she was close enough she could clearly see Logan standing over the area where the hibiscuses were… in perfect condition! This didn't make any sense. What was he so angry about?

Logan bent down and effortlessly yanked one flower out of the ground, holding it up as he shouted, "Did you _seriously_ think I'm such an idiot to not notice the difference!"

From the distance she was at previously the flower looked perfectly normal to her, but now that she had a closer view of it, Quinn also noticed something odd about it. Normally, if someone were to have pulled a flower out of the ground by its receptacle so forcefully, like Logan just had done, some of its petals would have been crushed or fallen out. But with this one, neither had occurred. All the yellow petals were intact and the ones that were supposed to be crushed, merely fell back to its normal position. Another thing she noticed that seemed a bit odd was how stiff the plant seemed. Even with its smooth, waxy leaves, the hibiscus flower should've been more flexible than that. If Quinn didn't know better, she would've thought that Logan was holding a fake plastic flower…

Quinn paused, realization dawning upon her. 'Oh no… that must be a side effect from the serum I created!' It was only a guess and she wouldn't be absolutely sure until she checked the plant in her room and ran more tests but that seemed to be the only plausible reason at the moment.

"We really don't know anything about what happened to them, Mr. Reese," one female gardener defended in a meek voice. "M-maybe someone snuck in and ruined them when no one was looking?"

Logan's livid expression didn't change but at least he wasn't yelling anymore. "You guys are the only ones who knew how important these flowers were to me, to us." He continued in a dead serious tone, looking into everyone's eyes. "Do you see any of the other flowers ruined? No." Everyone was frozen in place as they listened to him, either finding themselves too afraid to move or deciding it was best if they remained silent and motionless. Quinn, on the other hand, couldn't take it anymore, her conscience already beginning to eat away at her. So she decided to slowly make her exit. But just as she turned around and took one step away, she heard her name called.

"Quinn."

It was Logan. Quinn shut her eyes and took a breath, trying to calm her racing heart before she turned around to face him.

"Yes, Mr. Reese?" she replied, almost as meekly as the woman gardener had.

"Do you know anything about this?" Logan asked gruffly, shaking the frozen stiff hibiscus in his hand. Quinn chewed on her bottom lip nervously, looking back and forth between Logan's furious gaze and the plant in his hand, her mind racing. What was she going to say? She couldn't tell him the truth; he'd fire her for sure! But if she didn't tell him the truth, would she be able to hide it for long? One thought stuck out the most from all of them though, and that was why did her luck have to run out now?

* * *

**Reviewing is caring ;)**

(1) A direct Chase quote from "Miss PCA", if I'm not mistaken.

(2) Please excuse any incorrect information. Doing extensive research on the aspects of crossbreeding just seemed ridiculous for this story's purposes.

(3) Reference to the episode "Quarantine"

Yes, Lola is in this story! Couldn't leave out Quinn's bff now, could we? But what do you guys think about **who I should pair Chase up with?** I'm trying to decide between Lola (yes, Chola grew on me. Now it seems as normal as Choey. Haha) and Zoey. Lola already has a part in the story but for Zoey I'd have to squish her in there somewhere even though she was mentioned in the second chapter. Let me know in a review or just PM me!

Since we didn't hit 18 reviews for the last chapter no preview was given out this time. But if anyone wants a chance for a preview let's try to hit 25 reviews this time, okay? It won't kill you to provide a little feedback, won't it? And not those lame one liners, please. Those just disappoint me.

Don't forget to check my profile for updates!

Next chapter: A little change of wardrobe on Quinn's part, Logan lies to his mom, and a surprising question!

Until next time!

Always, Mina


	5. Chapter 4: An Unusual Proposal

I don't know if it's just me being insecure or whatever, but I'm feeling a little unsure about this chapter so my apologies if they seem a little OOC, are acting weird, or anything else that doesn't seem to make sense here. Feel free to _kindly _point it out in your review if something is really bothering or confusing you and I'll try to fix it. I was editing and finishing this up reeeally late at night (5am in the morning to be exact) and was totally out of it. Sorry.

**Disclaimer:** Dan Schneider and Nickelodeon own Zoey 101 and its characters. Not me. I also do not own the TV adaptation nor the actual books of Rose Tan's comedy/romance paperbacks _The Bud Brother Series_.

* * *

**Beautiful Liar**

"Chapter 4: An Unusual Proposal"

_-Quogan is Love-_

Everyone was silent as all eyes fell on Quinn. Logan stared, clutching the now plastic plant in his hand, as he waited for her to answer. It was a strange experience, feeling like a deer in headlights. Or more like an actor on stage that just said the wrong line. Either way, knots where forming in her stomach. Never in her life had being the center of attention scared her this much. Not that she had been very often.

"Well!" Logan barked impatiently after a pause of silence, causing Quinn to jump a little. "Do you or do you not know anything about who ruined these flowers?"

"No sir, I don't," she quickly lied, slightly wincing as she played with the hem of her skirt. "I've been inside answering the phone and organizing papers the whole day, how would I know anything about it?"

Logan seemed to accept her answer, turning away to look at all the other workers standing around him, a hard look on his face. "Until the person who did this confesses," he declared angrily, "_no one_ gets paid!"

Not long after he stormed off inside the office building, the gardeners began to argue and complain with each other. With everyone talking simultaneously, it was difficult for Quinn to make out what most of the people were saying. But from what she did hear, only made the guilt worse and the knot in her stomach tighter. Their workers depended on that salary to support their families and pay the bills. If the perpetrator did not confess, what would they do then? This was too much for her conscience but Quinn couldn't just walk in there and admit she was the one who did it – it had only been an accident, of course – for fear of being fired and ruining her entire mission.

'What am I going to do?' she thought worriedly, biting her bottom lip as she quickly followed Logan.

Quinn stepped inside just as Logan yanked his chair back and sat down, the chair hitting the wall behind him quite loudly. She had never seen him this angry before and as much as she hated to admit it, it was kind of scary. She gulped, dreading to confess even more. But she knew she had to do something to help those innocent people. She couldn't let them take the punishment for her mistake. Taking a deep breath, she ventured inside.

"Mr. Reese," she stated as confidently as she could, walking up to the front of his desk.

Logan stopped what he was writing then looked up at Quinn. "Did I call for you?" he bit out harshly.

"Don't you think you're being too harsh on your workers?" she asked in disbelief, adrenaline running through her veins. That's probably where the sudden burst of courage (or was it brazenness?) came from. "It probably doesn't matter much to you because _you're_ wealthy and one day's pay won't mean much. But think about your workers," she tried to reason, gesturing to the people still in the back gardens. "What little pay they receive is what they use to support their families and if you take that away, how are they supposed to live? Can you really be _that_heartless, sir?"

He stared at her with his mouth slightly agape, unable to believe that his own _secretary _was lecturing him. That woman hadn't even been working there for half a month and she had the nerve to _lecture_ him and call him 'heartless'? Who did she think she was?

"What if no one confesses, huh?" Quinn continued, one hand on her hip and the other on his desk. "Then everyone suffers. Don't you think that's being unfair, sir?"

Logan rolled his eyes and ran a hand over his face before countering, "If that person has a conscience and cares about their fellow workers, then they wouldn't let them suffer for something that's not their fault!"

Quinn scoffed and stared at him with her mouth slightly agape, "Didn't you take into consideration that the perpetrator could be too frightened of you to confess? Afraid that you'll – you'll embarrass them in front of the other workers, maybe? Or worse, that you'll fire them?"

"Well that's _their_ problem, not mine." Logan sighed exasperatedly, dropping his pen back in its holding cup. "If that person can't handle the consequences then they shouldn't have done the crime."

"But Mr. Reese!" Quinn exclaimed, beginning to pace before him. "What if – what if it was all an accident? What if they didn't mean to destroy them and it was all by mistake?" she questioned with her hands moving around animatedly as she paced, looking up at him every once in a while. "Then technically, it's not her… er, I mean, that person's fault. Surely, you can't blame them then, can you?" She could feel herself becoming more anxious by the minute, a sheer layer of sweat beginning to form on her forehead.

A pause of silence passed between them before Logan sighed again and rubbed his tired eyes with the palm of his hands.

"Look," he began, "those flowers are very important to me." He paused and Quinn listened intently for him to continue. Logan's eyes became distant as he stared at nothing in particular, before saying softly, "I was supposed to name them after…"

Quinn kept her eyes on him, waiting for him to finish the sentence and unconsciously leaned in closer. This time she wasn't listening to gather information. This time, she genuinely wanted to know why those hibiscus flowers meant so much to him and who was he planning to name them after. With his earlier outburst, it was starting to seem very unlikely that Logan was upset merely because he lost some inventory and that last incomplete sentence was an indication of that. Logan flicked his tongue out to wet his lips then looked back at Quinn. He sighed then looked away, choosing not to finish that sentence.

"I cannot believe I'm explaining myself to a secretary." He mumbled quietly.

With that said he pushed his chair back, excused himself, and quickly walked out the way he came in. Quinn mutely moved to the side a bit to let him pass around her and watched his retreating back until it was out of her line of vision. Feeling awkward just standing there, Quinn groaned and scratched her head, making her way back over to her desk. But she stopped midway, overhearing a group of workers as their voices traveled through the open window by Logan's desk. One of them was stressing over how they were going to pay the month's rent for their apartment while another complained that this unfortunate occurrence had such bad timing because their child needed money for their school supplies. With each worried complaint Quinn heard, the guilt and anxiety in the pit of her stomach grew and grew. She began to pace again, chewing on her bottom lip and fiddling with her hands as she did so.

"What am I going to do?" she asked herself with a groan. Quinn started to feel a headache coming on so she sat down on the nearest chair and began to rub her temples with her eyes closed. The only thing that was going on in her mind was 'what am I going to do?' over and over again. There had to be a way to fix this mess without getting fired!

The sound of the door opening made her pause and open her eyes. Chase gave her a short nod in greeting as he walked over to his desk with a manila folder in hand.

"What's up with him?" he asked, gesturing to, what Quinn assumed to be was, Logan with his thumb. Chase must've passed by him on his way inside. "He seems more pissed off than usual."

Quinn looked at Chase, internally debating with herself if she should tell him what happened or not. When he heard the voices coming from outside, however, the decision was made for her as Chase peeked out the window then turned to her.

"Okay, seriously. What's going on?" he asked with concerned furrowed brows. He turned to Quinn to see her slightly squirming in her chair and biting her lower lip. "Quinn?"

She looked up at him nervously then stood up. "Um…" she began, fiddling with the hem of her skirt. "Chase, can you… can you keep a secret? Just between the two of us?"

Fifteen minutes and a glass of water later, Quinn finished telling Chase of the events that happened while he was gone. While leaving out the parts about her undercover mission and snooping around Logan's desk, of course. She trusted Chase more than anyone on that farm but she knew where his loyalties lay between her and Logan.

Chase looked at Quinn as she finished explaining the situation she was in, fingers laced together atop his desk. Once she finished, he couldn't help but comment, "Wow. I leave for half the day to deliver flower arrangements and chaos ensues."

She couldn't help but roll her eyes at that.

"So what do I do?" Quinn asked hopelessly from her seat in front of Chase's desk. "I can't get fired, Chase."

Chase rubbed his chin in thought before looking up at her. "Well, to be honest Quinn. I don't see any other way to go about this except–"

"Confessing to Logan?" she interjected with a wince. Chase nodded and Quinn couldn't help but groan in aggravation. She did not like his solution at all. "Can't you tell him for me instead?" she asked with a sheepish hopeful smile.

"Are you kidding me?" he said, giving her an incredulous look. "Logan and I may be high school friends but he cared about those flower more than he does me." Quinn couldn't help but giggle a little at that despite the situation. "Besides," Chase continued more seriously, "the apology will seem more sincere if you're the one who tells him."

Quinn sighed and dropped her chin to her hand. "But Chase…"

Giving her a sympathetic look, he said, "I understand your concerns, Quinn, and to be honest, I don't want you to get fired either." Her eyes widened slightly at his admission. "It's nice being able to talk to someone here besides Logan. If you hadn't noticed yet, he can be kind of a killjoy sometimes." Quinn gave a small smile, grateful for his attempt to lighten the mood and his amiableness. "But as your superior and friend, I think that it'll be best for everyone if you told Logan the truth and apologized. You never know, maybe he'll be in a better mood tomorrow and all he'll probably do is glare and deduct your pay."

Quinn gave him a dry look to which he responded with a shrug. "Hey, I'm trying to help here."

The bespectacled woman sighed and stood from her seat. "Yeah, I know…"

Chase frowned sadly at her weary attitude. In the short time Quinn had been working at the flower farm, never had he seen her that upset and worried. It didn't suit her, he decided. So Chase, never being the one to leave a friend in such a sad state, offered her more advice.

"You could change your clothes."

Quinn's gaze rose to meet his and gave him a strange look. "Excuse me?" she asked quizzically.

"What I mean was, change the way you dress." he began to elaborate. "Glam up a little or something. It's not like we have a dress code here and I know for a fact that Logan can't resist a pretty girl. Once you get rid of those glasses, let down your hair," he motioned to each on her body, "or whatever it is you girls do to beautify yourselves, I'm sure he'll soften up."

Quinn mutely stared at him for a moment with her mouth slightly agape. He was really serious about this, wasn't he?

* * *

As she walked out the door and down the stone steps, Quinn kept her eyes fixed to the ground. Everything that just happened, including her conversation with Chase, kept replaying in her mind. Her thoughts wouldn't leave her alone; ones concerning the gardeners being the most prominent. Quinn knew that she had a mission to accomplish and she certainly could not do so if Logan were to fire her for destroying his precious hibiscuses – accident or not. But she also knew that a big part of her could not keep it secret for long, especially when innocent people were the ones being punished for something she did. Her conscience couldn't take that.

Too lost in her thoughts, it took Quinn a while to notice the people cheerfully running past her and towards the back gardens. She furrowed her brows and began to follow them, deciding to peek at what was going on. She hoped that nothing else was going wrong.

All the gardeners were standing in a circle around the around wooden bench in the patio, and seemed to be cheering and laughing. What was going on? A few hours ago they had just been arguing and complaining and now they were doing the exact opposite. More gardeners passed by her to join the, what looked to be, celebration, one of them being Rodger. She called him, causing him to stop and turn to look at her, several plastic chairs in his arms.

"What's going on now?" she asked curiously.

The older man smiled at her and answered cheerfully, "Mr. Reese brought some pizza and drinks and asked us to join him! You know what this means right? We're getting paid tomorrow!" Quinn stared at him in surprise, mouth slightly agape. He chuckled at her expression, "I know, it surprised me too. I'm thankful for whatever or whoever changed his mind though! C'mon, stay a while and join in!"

Quinn shook her head and politely declined, "I'm sorry but maybe another time. I've really gotta get home, Roger. But enjoy yourself." She smiled as the older man continued over to join the rest of the jolly group, who were now raising their beer bottles in a toast to Logan.

Finally able to see Logan seated in the crowd, Quinn couldn't help but smile fondly.

'Either that man has some bipolar issues, or my words actually got to him,' she thought, giggling inwardly. But from the look on his face, part of her knew it was latter as opposed to the former. 'Hm, I guess he does have a heart after all.'

As Logan swallowed the liquid and placed his bottle down, he looked up and met Quinn's gaze. Seeing that she had his attention, Quinn had the sudden urge to give a short wave to let him know that she was glad he had changed his mind. Just as she was about to though, Logan broke eye contact and looked away. To say that she was a little disappointed was an understatement but she didn't let it show. Lowering her gaze back to the ground, Quinn turned around and began to make her way to the exit, never noticing how Logan's eyes followed her until she disappeared through the metal gates.

'I can't believe I let _a secretary_ change my mind.'

* * *

Early the next morning, Quinn sat in front of her vanity mirror fresh from the shower. Her usual 'nerdy secretary' uniform was laid out on her bed and also a whole other outfit beside it, something she normally would've worn to work. She had thought about it all night as she tossed and turned in bed and even all morning under the warmth of the shower. She had even made a list of the pros and cons of each decision. Logan's sudden change of heart last night was definitely on her mind too, naturally. A part of her was even hopeful that maybe, since he had already changed his mind and decided to give the workers their salaries anyway, she wouldn't have to confess. But another part of her, the larger more rational part, knew that if she didn't take care of this now the problem would only worsen. Surely, Logan would have to be less angry with her if she actually confessed rather than him finding out on his own, right?

She exhaled loudly, finally coming to a decision. Taking one last look at her bespectacled self in the mirror, Quinn untied the bun she had been putting her hair in ever since she stepped inside The Reese Brother's flower farm. Wavy brown locks cascaded down behind her until it nearly reached the small of her back. She raked a hand through it a couple times before sighing in satisfaction.

"Okay, Quinn. You can do this." She reassured herself, standing from her seat towards the outfit beside her usual secretary clothes and began to dress.

'I hope Chase is right…'

In another part of Los Angeles, Logan was just about to get into his car when the ringing of his cell phone stopped him. He reached into his pocket to pull out the device and read on the caller ID that it was his mother. His eyes widened slightly, suddenly realizing that he had forgotten a very important task yesterday that involved his mother and the airport. He gulped slightly before flipping his phone open to answer the call.

"Hi, mom," he answered somewhat sheepishly, unlocking the car door and stepping inside. "Look, I'm really sorry about yesterday. There was just so much going on at the farm and–"

"Logan, honey, it's alright." She said sweetly, laughing slightly. "Even though I'm still a little upset at you for _forgetting to pick up your own mother_," she emphasized slightly, "I was more than delightedly surprised that you sent her to get me instead. I am so happy that you've finally moved on, son."

"Oh well, that's go–" he began, sticking the key into the ignition, but paused once his mother's words sank in. "Hold on, huh? What are you talking about?"

"Oh you don't have to go and try to hide it from me, Logan. Daniela's already gone and told me everything." At the sound of that woman's name, Logan groaned, leaned his head against the headrest, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "We spent the entire afternoon together yesterday at the hotel she booked me at – how very generous of her by the way – and she's already told me about all your plans."

"About our 'plans'?" he repeated with confusion, "Mom, what plans?"

"Oh don't go and play dumb with me, dear. Your wedding plans, of course! What else?"

His eyes snapped open and mouth fell agape. Wedding plans? What the hell? Okay, now Daniela was going too far.

"I really like her for you, son. She seems like such a sweet girl. You have my approval!" Elizabeth continued with growing excitement, oblivious to her son's discontent. If only she could see the expression on his face. "Oh, and I want to have the wedding as soon as possible, in the next couple of months hopefully. I've already talked to her parents and started searching for a wedding planner!"

Sitting up straight, Logan sighed exasperatedly. "Mom, call them back and tell them that there is no way in hell that I am going to marry their daughter!"

Elizabeth frowned, not only due to his language but also because of what he said. "Logan, sweetie, don't be afraid to take risks. That's what love is all about."

"This isn't about that!" he exclaimed into the phone.

The older woman furrowed her brows in concern, "Then what is it about? Why don't you want to marry her?"

"Because I don't love her!" was Logan's response.

His outburst was met with a pause of silence from his mother's end. Logan sighed, only then realizing that his door was still open. He grabbed the handle and pulled the door closed, still waiting for her to speak.

"I blame myself for this," Elizabeth said sorrowfully after a moment or so. "I'm such a horrible mother. I wasn't there for you when it happened and now… now you've become like this." She could feel tears stinging her eyes but she held them back and forced her voice to stay steady. "You don't want to give yourself a chance to be happy. I'm sorry, Logan. I should've been there…"

Hearing his mother like this bothered him, almost as much as it bothered him that she hit the nail on the head. That was a memory he wanted to simultaneously forget and keep. It was a paradox, he knew that. But it couldn't be helped. He heard his mother release a shaky breath and knew that she was resisting tears. He was never comfortable seeing – or even just hearing – a woman cry, much less someone as close to him as his own mother. It just wasn't right. It had been so long ever since the last time he could remember his mother shedding tears; he was only a child at the time. But even that memory was faded and fragmented. All he could remember was his parents arguing, his mother crying, and then before he knew it, she was hugging him one last time before she was out the door. Logan shut his eyes as the memory returned to the corners of his mind.

"Mom!" he exclaimed, followed by a sigh. "I just… I just can't marry that girl, okay?"

This time it was she who sighed, but hers was out of frustration. "Give me one good reason why not."

Logan fumbled for a response, for any reason as to why he couldn't marry Daniela. He knew his mother; it had to be a good excuse too. The thought of just telling her the truth came up but was dismissed as quickly as it came. She'd never believe that even if it were true. Besides, now that Daniela managed to get to his mom before he did, who knew how much she brainwashed her, especially since she had managed to convince his mother that she was "a sweet girl." He scoffed inwardly at the thought.

"Well?" Elizabeth prodded.

Unable to come up with a good excuse on short notice, Logan blurted out the first thing he thought of.

"Be-because… I already have a wife!"

Elizabeth was stunned silent. She had not expected that answer.

Logan hung up and flipped his phone closed, shutting his eyes. 'Damn that Daniela…' He groaned, tossing the device onto the passenger's seat, and then leaned forward to rest his head on his hands that were holding onto the steering wheel.

'Great, what am I going to do now? Who am I going to introduce to mom as my wife?'

And that was the only thought that plagued his mind the entire drive to work.

* * *

By the time Logan had arrived, Chase and Quinn were already there. The former was outside waiting for him to arrive with a handful of papers and folders in his hands, while the latter was inside, also waiting for his arrival, albeit more anxiously than the former. She had spent the entire night and morning reciting the exact words she wanted to say. She'd first tell him about how she accidentally ruined his hibiscus flowers – while leaving out the part about snooping around his desk, of course – apologize like mad so he wouldn't have much time to yell and fire her, then she'd give him his morning coffee and promise him that she would do anything and everything that she was asked of to make it up to him. That was a good plan, wasn't it?

Quinn continued to stir the cup of coffee even after all the ingredients were already mixed in. Her hands just became so fidgety when she was nervous so she couldn't help herself. Hopefully Chase was right about the whole wardrobe thing. It was the only reassurance she had to hold on to besides Chase's encouragement. Footsteps and the sudden sound of a chair loudly slamming into a desk made her jump. That had to be Logan. Quinn slowly peeked around the corner and saw that it was. He still seemed upset, unfortunately for her, as he quickly paced around the center of the room rubbing the back of his neck before heavily plopping down onto the black leather sofa across his desk.

Gulping instinctively, Quinn took a deep breath, looked herself over in the reflection of the full length glass wall, and carefully picked up the cup of coffee. She could feel the knots in her stomach tighten with every step closer she took. She was only a door frame and chair's length away from him now, and she could feel some of her confidence slowly slip away. A movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention and she looked up, finding Chase standing by the entrance. She gave him a look that clearly exhibited her call for help but he merely gave her a big smile and thumbs up. That was rewarded with a glare and pout. If she got fired, Chase was getting zapped. She had chosen to wear her laser watch today, just for that purpose if it came to it.

Quinn turned her attention back to her boss who now had his head in his hands as his elbows rested on his knees. Shutting her eyes and taking deep calming breaths, she gathered what courage she could find and walked the rest of the way, stopping directly in front of Logan. When he didn't look up or acknowledge her presence, she coughed softly.

"Good morning, sir," she greeted timidly, the cup in her hands beginning to shake slightly.

Logan opened his eyes and whipped his head up to look at her, fully prepared to snap at whoever spoke to him. But the vision that met his eyes knocked him into a mute stupor; his angry and frustrated thoughts thrown to the wind. Where he was use to seeing thick and ridiculously large black framed glasses were now regularly sized ones. Where he was use to seeing a perfectly arranged and swept up hair bun was now long, wavy, flowing brown locks in slight disarray. Where he was use to seeing buttoned up long sleeved dress shirts with oversized ruffles was now a stylish red v-neck tunic; its sleeves only going up to her elbows and the hem ending at her hips. Where he was use to seeing dull pencil skirts was now a pair of fitting white capri pants that ended just below the knee. And where he was use to seeing old fashioned granny style heels were now gold ankle strap open-toe cork heels. His eyes couldn't help but look her over from head to toe more than once.

"Qu… Quinn?" he questioned in a low voice, mentally berating himself for stuttering. When Quinn nodded to confirm that it was her standing there, Logan continued in the same tone of voice, "You look… different."

She didn't know why but she blushed slightly at his admission, even if he didn't exactly compliment her.

"Um… yeah," she replied awkwardly, beginning to feel a little self conscious. "Thanks for noticing?"

He didn't know what it was, but that snapped him out of the trace-like state he had entered. Blinking several times to fully bring himself out of his stupor, Logan coughed then looked up at Quinn.

"Uh, what did you need?"

"We-well… um," she began, feeling another knot in her stomach tighten. "I just wanted to let you know that I – I now know who ruined the hibiscus patch."

Logan's demeanor visibly hardened, suddenly remembering the events of the night before. "Who is it?"

And another knot. "Who? Um…" she began to chew on her lower lip. "Would you like some coffee first, sir?" she offered with a nervous lopsided smile.

"Ms. Pensky," he said in a no nonsense tone.

Quinn winced and set the coffee down on a random desk near her. "Guess not," she mumbled to herself. She turned back to him as her hands began to play with the hem of her tunic and cleared her throat.

"Okay, well…" she began, uncertainty in her voice and heart pounding in her chest. "Before I tell you, you have to promise that you won't blow up at the person who did it and do something drastic like, like firing them, okay?"

"And why the hell would I promise that?" he questioned incredulously. "Of course I'm going to fire them! They have to pay for what they did and there is no way that I am going to keep –"

"Mr. Reese, with all due respect, sir," Quinn interrupted, trying to act as calm as possible. "If you cannot promise me this then I am afraid that I will not be able to tell you who the culprit is."

Logan's eyes narrowed at her. "Ms. Pensky, I think that you have forgotten what your position is here and that _I_ am your boss. What makes you think that I won't fire _you_ if you don't tell me, hm?"

Uh oh. Quinn knew that she was probably treading on dangerous waters but it was a risk she had to take. Besides, logic would ultimately win this, right? Scratching her head nervously, Quinn replied, "Because if you fire _me_ then you will never find out who the perpetrator is."

She looked over to Chase sitting on his desk, typing something on his computer. Even though it looked like he was minding his own business and not listening to their conversation, he really was. When he heard Quinn say that he looked over at her and gave a short nod, signaling that he wouldn't tell Logan about what he knew. She gave a small discreet appreciative smile.

Logan seemed to accept defeat as he sighed tiredly and brought a hand up to rub his forehead. "Fine, whatever. I won't fire you. Now just tell me who did it." He looked back up at her and she nodded, satisfied with his answer.

Clearing her throat and taking a deep calming breath, Qunn began to explain what happened. "The other night after you and Cha- err… I mean, Mr. Matthews left me to lock up, I kind of… ended up jumping out your window and may have… okay, I _did_ accidentally land–"

"You did it!" he shouted in surprise, leaping up from his seat. "You're the one who destroyed my hibiscuses!" She visibly flinched at his outburst and her heart started speed up and pound against her ribcage again. Logan stared at Quinn with his mouth agape for a moment or so, still shocked that his own secretary was the culprit.

"It was an accident!" she insisted. "I didn't know they were even down there, I swear! And besides, I didn't know they were important to you until _after_ the incident."

Logan was still fuming. He ran a hand through his hair and rested it at the base of his neck before locking eyes with her again. "You know, I have the right mind to fire you for what you did. You know what you cost me by ruining those flowers! Why the hell did you jump out of the window anyway?"

Quinn was starting to feel the frustration rise within her despite her fears and anxiety. "I – I thought that I heard a… a burglar come in and I panicked! So, I jumped out the window to escape." she lied. "I'm really, really sorry and you can't fire me; you promised that you wouldn't!"

Staring at her in disbelief, he stopped pacing and exclaimed, "That was _before_ you admitted that it was _you_! That doesn't count; you tricked me!"

"Yes, it does and no I didn't!" she denied with resentment. "I told you that I wouldn't reveal who the culprit was unless you _promised_ me that you wouldn't fire the person – which, yes, was me but that's beside the point – and you did! You can't go back on your word!"

"To hell with that promise!" Logan shouted back, leaning closer to the woman as an intimidation tactic. It didn't look like she was backing down though.

Seeing that things weren't going as smoothly as he had hoped, Chase chose that moment to intervene, before things got even worse. "Hey, hey! Okay, I have an idea," he said, trying to be cheerful as he stood from his desk and walked over to them. "Why don't we all start using our 'in-door' voices now, huh? There's no need to yell when we can all hear each other perfectly fine talking this way!" He smiled nervously between the two, standing in the middle beside them just in case he had to play referee.

Quinn and Logan continued to exchange glares as a pause of silence passed. Glancing over at Chase, Logan was the first to break the glaring match. He looked back at Quinn then looked away, scoffing, before he walked around her to sit at his desk.

"Whatever."

Rolling her eyes at him, Quinn exchanged glances with Chase before heading back to her desk. Before she could pass by him though, Chase grabbed her arm and took her aside.

"Quinn, this isn't what I meant by telling Logan "the truth and apologizing"." He said in a whisper after releasing her arm.

She sighed then crossed her arms across her chest. "I know, but is it _my_ fault that he's too much of an idiot to comprehend what "I'm sorry" and "it was an accident" means?" she whispered back sarcastically.

"Just be patient with him, Quinn." Chase insisted, giving her a little nudge. "C'mon, you know how he is. Even if you've only been here for less than two weeks."

Quinn stared at the file cabinet beside them as she thought about Chase's words, her anger dying down. Chase was right, in a way. Those flowers were obviously really important to Logan and even if she didn't know it until after she accidentally destroyed them, she still owed him. She still believed that he was being ridiculous for accusing her of tricking him though. Chase's smile grew as he looked at Quinn, noticing her demeanor slowly relent and calm down.

She uncrossed her arms and sighed in defeat. "Alright fine, I'll try again."

He nodded at her as she turned around and walked over to Logan's desk. Taking the seat facing him, Quinn kept her hands folded on her lap as she took a few glances up at Logan. He had his eyes fixated on whatever papers were on his desk but she knew he was aware of her presence. Sighing for probably the thousandth time that day, Quinn began in a calmer voice.

"Mr. Reese, I realize _now_ how important those flowers were to you." She kept her eyes on his hands that were holding the papers, still finding it too awkward to look at him directly in the eyes. "And I take full responsibility for them. Please accept my… sincere apology because I truly am sorry for what happened. Also, know that in order to make it up to you, I…" she paused, taking a glance at Chase for reassurance. He continued to watch intently from his spot near one of the file cabinets. "I promise that I will do anything and everything that you ask of me from now on until my debt to you is paid."

Logan's eyes finally left the paper to meet hers but he remained silent for another moment or so. When the combination of the silence and his stare started to become increasingly uncomfortable, Quinn broke the gaze to look at her folded hands. He still had yet to accept her apology and proposition.

"Very well, then." Logan accepted, calmly and evenly as he dropped the papers that were in his hands. "I may just forgive you, but under one condition."

"And what condition would that be?" she inquired suspiciously, furrowing her brows in confusion and nervousness.

The way he said it sounded so final; like he wasn't even giving her the choice of rejecting him. Maybe he wasn't and maybe she couldn't.

"Be my wife."

* * *

-gasp- Logan, what! Lol Now if that won't compel you guys to review, I don't know what will. I'll tell you guys now though, this is where the squee-worthy (hopefully) Quogan-ness officially begins. ;)

Congrats to meNyou.2 who was the recipient of the preview for this chapter! We actually went over the chap preview borderline this time! Thank you guys so much! :) I'm glad that there are readers here who are enjoying my first AU story. Okay, for a preview for the next chapter how about we try for 34 reviews, 'kay? Remember, I'll still update even if we don't reach it but if you want a sneak peek at the next chapter before anyone else reads it, hit that button down there and start typing!

Don't forget to check back on my profile for updates!

Next chapter: Quinn's answer, Daniela contacts Elizabeth again, and a shocking revelation!

Until next time!

Always, Mina


	6. Chapter 5: Complications & Revelations

Happy Quogan Day! :) I'm so proud of myself that I managed to finish this in time. Sorry for taking forever (again) to finish this chapter. School and life, you know how it is. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy! There may be some mistakes because I was in such a rush to finish this and because it's nearly 4am in the morning. Kindly point out any mistakes in your review and I'll gladly make the corrections.

**Disclaimer:** Dan Schneider and Nickelodeon own Zoey 101 and its characters. Not me. I also do not own the TV adaptation nor the actual books of Rose Tan's comedy/romance paperbacks _The Bud Brother Series_.

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* * *

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**Beautiful Liar**

"Chapter 5: Complications and Revelations"

_-Quogan is Love-_

"Wh… what!" Quinn exclaimed, mouth opened in shock. Had she heard correctly? No… surely she must've misheard him. Him. Logan Reese. Her _boss_ just… just proposed to her! This couldn't be happening. No, she must've misheard. Yes, that must be what happened because all he was doing was nonchalantly leaning back in his chair waiting for her response. How could he be so calm about it when her lungs were suddenly finding it difficult to breathe and her mind was running a mile a minute?

"Y-you… you – what!" How embarrassing was it that she was at a loss for words.

Looking almost as confused and startled as Quinn was, Chase stepped closer to the two. "Yeah, she pretty much said it all. Logan, the hell are you thinking? Isn't this a _little_ extreme?"

Sighing, Logan sat forward and looked over to Chase. "Look man, it's not going to be real _or_ forever. Just until my mother leaves."

"No!" Quinn cried, finally regaining some of her ability to think clearly. She stood from her seat and stared at Logan. "No! I don't accept your condition! What kind of a condition is that!" she exclaimed, hands flailing about animatedly as she began to pace. "Y-you don't just – just _tell_ someone to be your wife and expect them to be okay with it and to go along with it! I – I know I owe you for the flowers and everything and – and I know that I said I would do anything that you tell me to do, but this! This – marry you and be your wife? This is insanity! This, this is simply ridiculo–"

"Quinn!" Logan interrupted, beginning to get annoyed with her rambling. He stood up from his seat and evenly met her gaze. "Look, would you just calm down and hear me out?" After a pause of silence and seeing her nod to show that she was listening, he continued. "You aren't _really_ going to marry me, okay? You're just going to pretend to be my wife until my mother leaves."

Scrunching his brows in bewilderment, Chase jumped in and asked the same question Quinn had in mind. "What does your mother have to do with this?"

Logan glanced at Chase and sighed exasperatedly. "I'll explain later but for now," he turned his attention to Quinn, "I need you to give me an answer. Either you agree and repay your debt to me this way, or pay for the flowers with your own money. You decide."

Chase firmly grasped Logan's shoulder to get his attention and said quietly, "Logan, what the hell man? You know those flowers were freakishly expensive and you _know_ she can't afford to pay for them, not even with her salary."

"Then her decision should be clear."

Looking back and forth between both men – who were silently standing there waiting for her to say something –, Quinn's head began to spin slightly from all the information it was trying to process. Everything was happening so fast! All she wanted to do was confess and clear her conscience, complete her mission, then go back home to her family. Now things had become complicated to downright chaotic. Pressing a hand to her temple, Quinn sat back down and shut her eyes in an attempt to get her thoughts together and to hopefully make the room stop spinning.

'Okay, Quinn. Get your head together here. Make a list; that always helps.' Reassuring herself somewhat helped her frazzled nerves. If she didn't accept, she wouldn't have to pretend to be Logan's wife, would possibly be fired – thus failing her mission to Miss Daniela – and would still need to save up enough money to pay for the flowers she destroyed. There was the option of borrowing money from Daniela but that option was quickly discarded as soon as it came. She and her family already owed her a lot and if they were to ask for more money, her debt to the model would never be repaid. On the other hand, if Quinn were to accept his proposal (though it seemed more like blackmail to her), she wouldn't need to worry about paying him back or need to ask Daniela for more money, wouldn't be fired – thus, not fail her mission –, but would need to pretend to be Logan's wife for who knows how long.

Quinn sighed exasperatedly as she leaned back into the chair, rubbing her eyes as she did so. She hated either option, to be completely honest. Why did she get herself into this mess?

A memory of her poor father back home came to her mind. Even after moving to California, he still wasn't the same as he used to be when her mother was still alive. He still hardly spoke to anyone, much less even _look_ at baby Owen. It wasn't his fault their mother died, Quinn knew that and she hoped her father would realize it soon too. If it weren't for her Aunt Meg, who knows what would've become of her family. Quinn knew, though, that her aunt had a family of her own to care for and sometime soon, she would need to return to Seattle. Quinn hoped that when that time came they would have enough money saved to get treatment for her father and also to support her siblings. That meant she couldn't bury herself in anymore debt.

Logan was right. Her choice was clear.

Quinn raised her head and looked at Logan and Chase who were both talking to each other quietly. She sat up straight and coughed to get their attention. When they turned to look at her, Quinn spoke quietly and calmly.

"Alright, I'll do it."

Chased looked at Quinn with mild surprise. "What? Quinn, are you sure about this?" She didn't speak, just nodded her head in his direction.

"Okay, great. It's settled then." Logan said with a satisfactory nod, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. "Chase get back to work, Quinn, take the rest of the day off. I'm gonna go make some phone calls and when I'm done we're heading over to your place to pick up your stuff. Get ready."

She gave him a confused look. "My stuff? Why?"

Holding his phone to his ear, Logan slightly rolled his eyes. "Well our little act isn't exactly going to be believable if my wife is living somewhere else other than with me, right?"

Point taken.

* * *

"Hi Mrs. Reese – oops! I mean, _mother_." Daniela greeted sweetly over the phone. She stopped in front of the awaiting van's door until someone opened it for her then stepped inside. "So are we still on for this afternoon? Remember I promised you that I would treat you to lunch."

"Um, Daniela, dear." Elizabeth began carefully as she paid the cashier for her meal. "Have you spoken to Logan lately?"

She laughed lightly and shook her head even though Elizabeth couldn't see her. "Oh, you know how your son is; always so busy working on that flower farm of his. He hardly has any time for himself. So, no, we haven't spoken yet." The van she was in stopped at a stop light before turning left. She had just finished doing a radio interview and was now on her way to a TV guest appearance then afterwards, she was planning to pick up Logan's mom so they could have lunch and bond. There was nothing wrong with a girl getting to know her man's mother especially when she would be her mother-in-law soon!

"You mean he hasn't told you?" Elizabeth asked somewhat surprised. Had he really kept his wife a secret from poor Daniela? She really had no idea? The poor girl, how could Logan lead her on like this? Didn't she teach him better than that?

Daniela's smile slowly started slipping from her face as she scrunched her brows in confusion, not understanding what Elizabeth was getting at. "Um, told me what?" she asked slowly.

Elizabeth shook her head ruefully, truly feeling sorry for the girl. She hated to be the one to tell her but she had to know before she got hurt further. "Daniela, I'm sorry, but Logan is already married."

At that Daniela's smile completely fell from her face and she found herself suddenly speechless, mouth dry and hanging slightly open. If Elizabeth was saying something over the phone she wouldn't have known because everything seemed to shut off around her. All she could hear and feel was the painful beating of her breaking heart as the shock and revelation sank in.

"He…" she said weakly, quietly to herself. The phone was lowered onto her lap as she stared off into nothing, unable to hear or think about anything except for what Elizabeth just told her. "He's… already married?"

Whether or not she was the one who hung up or Elizabeth, Daniela wasn't sure or cared. Grabbing her phone she let out a cry and forcefully threw it to the seat beside her before clutching a handful of her hair. Kicking off the seat before her, Daniela flung her head back onto the headrest repeatedly and continued to scream with increasing hysteria.

"Who is it? Who is she?"

* * *

'I can't believe this. I actually agreed to be… to be Logan's _wife_?'

After making sure she had all her stuff in her purse, Quinn told Chase she needed to get some air and left for the gardens. She didn't really have a destination in mind so she simply let her feet take her to wherever they walked to. Not long after passing the roses and tulips, Quinn discovered some stone steps that led into a tunnel of vines and leaves. Deciding to see where it led to, she continued forward until her eyes were met with a beautiful white gazebo surrounded by vines and various potted flowers and plants, some hanging and some sitting around it. Walking into it, Quinn sat on one of the wooden benches and allowed her mind to reflect on what just happened.

'This is crazy.' She lifted one leg up on the seat and rested her head on it. Several peaceful moments passed by with nothing in earshot except for the sounds of birds, a few cars in the distance and water running from one of the farm's water fountains. There was no use in dwelling on it, what's done was done, Quinn decided. The best thing to do now was to figure out how to stay afloat with all this deceiving she was assigned to do.

Naturally, it wasn't long until her mind began to wander to Logan. 'I wonder how it'll be like to be his wife…' A flashback of earlier came to mind and Quinn couldn't help the jump of her heart when she remembered him tell her to be his wife. 'Oh, no, no, no… hold on a minute there, Quinn. Remember, you only agreed to this because you're indebted to him and can't afford to pay for those stupid flowers, okay? It doesn't matter if the guy's a total hottie with a… a nice tan and muscles and a nice smile…'

Catching herself, Quinn violently shook her head in an attempt to erase such thoughts from her mind. What was going on with her?

'No, Quinn, stop. This is wrong. What about Miss Daniela?'

Almost as if on cue, her phone went off and when she checked the caller ID it was none other than her real boss.

'Oh, crap. Okay, just stay calm, stay calm. She doesn't know anything.'

Hesitantly, Quinn hit the answer button and brought the phone to her ear. "He-hello?"

"Qu-Quinn," Daniela spoke brokenly into the phone. She was obviously crying. "Why didn't you tell me that Logan was already married?"

Well, so much for her not knowing yet. But how did she find out?

Standing up from the wooden bench, Quinn walked over to the other side of the gazebo. Movement always helped when she was anxious. "O-oh, um. I, uh… be-because –"

"W-who is she, Quinn? Who's Logan's wife?" She was practically begging to know.

"U-um…" Quinn paced back and forth, trying to stay calm and think of a good response. Who knew how the woman would react if Quinn told her she was his so-called "wife", at least temporarily. "I – I don't know," she said weakly, uncertainly.

"If I hadn't called his mother I wouldn't have ever found out!" Daniela yelled into the phone in distress causing Quinn to wince.

"I-I'm sorry! I really had no idea, Miss Daniela. I really don't know who she is." She heard Daniela let out a sob and couldn't help but begin to feel guilty.

"Quinn, that's your job; you're supposed to know these kinds of things…"

Chewing on her lip, Quinn walked back over to her original spot and sat down. "I know, but… but at least, um… at least now, you can – you _know_ that it really wasn't meant to be and can now move on, right?"

"No!" she immediately answered, furiously shaking her head. "No, no, no, no. That – that can't happen, Quinn, because Logan and I – we're, we're meant to be. Only us. There's only two of us, okay? We are _meant to be_." She paused to take a breath and wipe a few stray tears away from her face. Her mascara was running, her hair sticking out in places completely in disarray, and her eye make-up completely ruined but she didn't care.

"So," she continued, "your job is to find out who that girl is… and get rid of her, got it? Get rid of her!"

Quinn's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. She was almost scared to ask but did so anyway. "H-how?"

"Kill her." Daniela ordered, her voice cold with dead finality.

"What!" Quinn shrieked, jumping up from her seat.

"Do _anything_ it takes to get rid of that damn bitch! Anything to get her out of the picture, do you understand me?" Even though Quinn didn't reply Daniela continued, her voice fading into nearly incoherent mumbles as she did. "It's only supposed to be me and Logan. Me and Logan. Only me and him…"

Not long after the line was cut but Quinn didn't notice. She felt anxious, scared, and numb all at the same time. Her heart was pounding against her ribcage and the sounds of the heartbeats were clear in her head. There was a nearly suffocating pressure in her chest which made it difficult to breathe properly. Feeling her head starting to spin again, Quinn shut her eyes, huddled into the corner of the bench and rested her head on her folded arms at were atop her bent knees. All the while, Daniela's voice continued to echo in her mind…

'_Get rid of her… kill her…'_

And who knew that things were going to get worse.

She didn't know how long she sat there lost in her thoughts, but they were soon disrupted by the sound of someone approaching and calling her name. Quinn lifted her head up when the voice got close enough and saw that it was Chase.

"Hey," he greeted softly, still concerned over what happened and how things transpired just awhile ago. "How're you holding up?"

Quinn gave a dry laugh and dropped her feet to the ground. "Oh, just peachy. Wonderful day, indeed." Unsure of how to properly respond, Chase merely nodded silently and rubbed the back of his neck, feeling slightly awkward. Seeing this, Quinn sighed and apologized. "Sorry, Chase. Don't mind me… just having a _long_ day."

He nodded and stuck his hands in his pockets before replying, "You can say that again."

Quinn moved over and patted the space beside her, offering Chase a seat which he gladly took. "So," she began, trying to push her recent call from Daniela out of her mind for the moment, "what brings you here? I doubt that you needed alone time to think too."

Chase paused and stared at her for a moment before remembering what he came there to tell her. "Oh! Right. Logan asked me to find you," he explained, gesturing to her person. "He said it's time to head over to your place to pick up your stuff."

Resting her head back onto the wooden pole behind her, Quinn groaned and shut her eyes. Pausing a moment to collect herself and taking a few deep breaths, she exhaled loudly before opening her eyes and standing up. "Guess it's time to face the music," she said to no one in particular.

Chase gave a small grin. "You sound as if you're walking to your doom."

"Oh you don't know the half of it…" she mumbled under her breath. Looking over her shoulder as she reached the first step of the stairway, she replied with a small smile, "I'm going to be Logan Reese's _wife_ – whether it is real or not. I'm positive that these next few weeks are going to be the most miserable weeks in my entire life."

Chased stood from his seat and followed her down the stairs. "Well, you never know," he said teasingly, "you might end up falling madly in love and end up never wanting to leave him."

With her mouth slightly agape, Quinn twisted around and stared at the man before her, shocked at what he just said even though it was just for fun. Sending her a grin, Chase only laughed at her expression and walked around her towards the main office.

"Excuse me, Mr. Matthews," she began, hands on her hips, as she followed him "but Quinn Pensky does _not_ fall for men that easily. It takes a lot more than a handsome face and charm to woo me over and that's all Mr. Reese seems to have."

Chuckling softly, Chase spoke over his shoulder towards the woman following him. "Hm, didn't seem that way when you quickly accepted his proposal earlier." They made it back to the office building in no time and before Quinn could even retort indignantly, Logan came through the front entrance holding his car keys and wearing sunglasses over his eyes. Chase stopped, as did Quinn.

"Hey man, are you sure about this one?" he asked facetiously, gesturing to the woman behind him. "You still got time to think about it and pick another girl." He was rewarded with a quick swat on the shoulder by Quinn. "Ow!" he exclaimed, turning over his shoulder to face Quinn. "I was kidding!"

Lowering his shades just enough so that his eyes shown, Logan looked Quinn over before smirking and replying nonchalantly, "Good enough." Pushing his shades back into their proper place, he gestured with his head for Quinn to follow before walking out the door.

'Good enough!' she thought in indignation as she watched his retreating back. 'What's _that_ supposed to mean?'

"Well, 'good enough' is better than him saying that he had no choice, right?"

Remembering her favorite use for her zap-watch, Quinn twisted it into the ON position and pressed the button, aiming for Chase's arm. When he yelped in surprise and pain, she smiled satisfactorily, grabbed her purse and made her way to the door.

"Damn, Mrs. Reese," Chase remarked, holding his arm on the spot that was zapped. "You haven't been married to Logan for even a day yet and you've already adopted his violent tendencies." Pausing at the doorway, Quinn turned around and reached for her zap-watch again, threatening to use it on him once more. Fearing for the safety of his limbs, Chase held up his hands in surrender before crouching down behind a desk. "Okay, I give, I give! I'm sorry!"

"Quinn!" Logan called from outside.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. Giving Chase a mock glare, Quinn lowered her arm and readjusted her purse over her shoulder. "Okay, hold on! God."

Snickering from his crouched position, Chase risked one last jibe, "You best not keep Mr. Reese waiting now, Mrs. Reese. You know how his temper can get – ahh!" He ducked. Papers that were on the desk now had two holes zapped into them and Chase couldn't be happier that she had missed his afro.

* * *

The car ride to Lola's place was mostly spent in silence and it got to Quinn's nerves fast. Now that they were alone she wanted answers and she wanted them now.

"Mr. Reese, can you tell me _now_ why you need me to pretend to be your wife?"

He spared her a glance before keeping his eyes on the road again. "Logan, call me Logan from now on, Quinn," he corrected. "Wives don't call their husbands mister."

"Okay…" she said slowly, feeling more than a little awkward. She knew he had a point though. "Logan. Why are we going to pretend that we're married? Is it because your mother is forcing you to marry someone you don't like?" she tried to guess. When several beats of silence passed and it looked as if he wasn't going to answer her, Quinn grew annoyed. Sighing, she tried again. "Mr. Ree – err, I mean, Logan. The least you could do is answer me because I have a right to know the whole story. What you're asking for isn't exactly a piece of cake."

Sighing exasperatedly, Logan rubbed the back of his neck before relenting. Taking a moment to breathe, he began, "There's this woman who's obsessed with me, okay. A model to be exact. You might know her; you left some magazines on my desk the other day with her on the cover."

Quinn furrowed her brows as her mind processed the information and recalled said magazines. "Um… Daniela Christenson?"

Keeping his eyes focused straight ahead, he nodded in affirmative. "Yeah, her." Turning the vehicle to go left, he continued with a sigh, "I mean, I know I'm irresistible and all," oh, there's that ego again. Now that she didn't miss much. "But this is one time I wish I wasn't. At least not to that woman; she freaks me out sometimes." All the while Quinn was listening to him disbelievingly, mouth agape in shock. "I don't even know why too. All I did was talk to her once at this party in a club."

_He sat there in the corner of the club closest to the entrance, leaving exactly one seat to his right and the rest on his left in the same empty state. Michael said he was going to be there in ten minutes but that had been fifteen minutes ago and Logan hated having to wait for people. Taking a sip from his cup, he began to look around at the random people dancing on the dance floor._

"_Hi there," a voice suddenly said to his right. He turned and saw an attractive looking woman with green eyes wearing a black strapless dress. "I'm Daniela Christenson," she introduced, holding out her hand for him to shake. "You are?"_

_He hesitated for a moment, but took her hand in his and gave it a soft shake. "Logan, Logan Reese." Looking away from her, he began to look around for any sign of his friend Michael. It's not that he didn't find her attractive, but he just wasn't interested. At least not so soon after the incident…_

"_Mind if I join you?" Daniela asked sweetly, her red lips curling into a smile._

_Looking over her shoulder, Logan saw Michael finally arrive. "Um, no. But, actually, I was just waiting for a friend and he's just arrived now. So, excuse me." He gave her a small smile, took his drink, then left, walking over to the other side of the club._

"What!" Quinn exclaimed as she stared at the man beside her. "Y-you mean, she's _not_ your girlfriend?"

Logan gave her a strange look and scoffed. "Pssh, no, of course not. Like I would ever go out with a psychotic stalker."

* * *

A huge thank you to everyone who took the time to read and review. You guys seriously rock. :)

Don't forget to check back on my profile for updates!

Next chapter: Quinn moves in with Logan, some redecorating occurs, and Mrs. Elizabeth Reese arrives.

Until next time!

Always, Mina


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